cross and cloudsWritten by Don Byrd

Horrifying news out of Iraq as the militant extremist group ISIS has forced the last Christians out of Mosul, formerly the city with the largest Christian population in the country.

Christianity Today’s Gleanings helpfully rounds up news reports:

Mosul was intended by Iraq’s government to anchor a future province in the Nineveh plains where Christians could govern themselves. This past weekend, ISIS gave Christians until noon Saturday to choose between the three options. “After this date,” read the ISIS declaration, “the only thing between us and them is the sword.” The New York Times reports that, while a few Christians may remain in hiding after this weekend, Mosul’s once diverse Christian community has likely come to a “real end.”

You can read the NYTimes report here.