Rwanda has become a secular dictatorship under its current President Paul Kagame. He has taken control of the political parties, the media, the civic and social institutions and now he is going after the churches. Rwanda is a nation that is coming under total control by government and sadly its citizens are being repressed.
Over 8,000 churches have already been closed down due to new rules implemented on houses of worship by the government.[1] The new regulations make it impossible for churches to remain open. Some of the new requirements imposed on houses of worship include:
- No home churches.
- Church access roads as well as church compounds need to be paved.
- Bathrooms, and they need to be a certain distance from the church entrance.
- The walls and ceilings in the church must be plastered and painted.
- Exposed brick is not allowed anymore.
- All pastors and leaders now need to have theological degrees.
- Theological degrees must come from “accredited” institutions.
- Only institutions that also teach science and technology can teach theology, meaning that many of the Bible colleges are no longer valid. [2]
The government says that the new rules are designed to implement standards of safety, hygiene and infrastructure to protect worshippers, but churchgoers claim that Rwanda has taken a new aggressive, secular stance to suppress the faith.[3]
We have been warned in the book of Revelation that persecution by authoritarian governments would become more frequent during the last days. It’s just another sign that shows that we are living in the end-times and soon all of our civil and religious liberties will disappear.
“The work which the church has failed to do in a time of peace and prosperity, she will have to do in a terrible crisis, under most discouraging, forbidding circumstances” (Evangelism, p. 31).
[1] http://ktpress.rw/2018/07/new-law-on-religious-institutions-due-next-week/
[2] https://www.christianpost.com/news/rwanda-over-8000-churches-close-after-government-passes-law-regulating-faith-based-groups-226478/
[3] https://churchleaders.com/news/329821-8000-rwandan-churches-closed-in-effort-to-secularize.html
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