Here’s today’s dispatch from the crossroads of faith, media and culture.

Why is this not a huge story? From CBN: Pastor Saeed Abidini, an American imprisoned in Iran for his faith, was sentenced Sunday to eight years in prison. According to the American Center for Law and Justice, Pastor Saeed was verbally sentenced by Iran’s notorious “hanging judge” to eight years. He will serve his time in Evin Prison, known as one of the most brutal…Pastor Saeed and his attorney were permitted to attend just one day of his trial, which began January 21st. They were barred from attending and participating in further proceedings. During his imprisonment, Pastor Saeed has been beaten and tortured raising serious concerns about his medical condition.
From AP via El Paso Times: Earlier this month Iran’s semi-official news agency, ISNA, quoted Abedini’s attorney as saying his client stood trial in the Revolutionary Court on charges of attempting to undermine state security by creating a network of Christian churches in private homes. The pastor, who is of Iranian origin but lives in Boise, Idaho, has rejected the charges.

Comment: There’s a pretty good chance that you’ve missed this story because it isn’t exactly getting a lot of attention from the mainstream media. The issue, for instance, didn’t come up in yesterday’s somewhat less-than-penetrating  60 Minutes interview of President Obama and outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. One can’t help but suspect that if Israel was treating an American (whether Christian or Muslim) in a similar fashion, the issue would (rightfully) be the stuff of  near non-stop headlines.

Encourage one another and build each other up – 1 Thessalonians 5:11