Two American missionaries, Dr Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, who caught Ebola in west Africa were airlifted to America this week and given an experimental treatment that saved their lives, even as Africans continue to die.

After a few days the inevitable question was asked:  Why did they get the treatment and nobody else? Read more here. 

Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times had a much more sympathetic view of the missionaries.

Anne Coulter, a leader for the Christian right made some unfortunate comments. The Hill (the daily paper of the US Congress) reports:

“Coulter led her comments with the controversial headline ‘Ebola doc’s condition downgraded to ‘idiotic’.”

The conservative pundit suggested the doctor invited the risk of catching Ebola by travelling to Africa and that missionaries preferred to help those overseas rather than the needy at home because they wanted to be seen as “heroic”.

“Why did Dr Brantly have to go to Africa? The very first ‘risk factor’ listed by the Mayo Clinic for Ebola — an incurable disease with a 90 percent fatality rate — is: ‘Travel to Africa,’” said Coulter. “Can’t anyone serve Christ in America anymore?”

This writer suggests that Coulter re-read Matthew 25 and note that the great commission is to go to all nations.

A story we’ve been waiting for is how Pope Francis would get on with Italy’s protestants. He visited an Italian Pentecostal church recently and apologised for the way Catholics have treated them. He was made welcome there. But other Italian Protestants are more cautious. Read more about that story, here.

In the week that Christians are focused on the plight of our brothers and sisters in Iraq, the Independent (London) tells its readers that Christians are the world’s most persecuted people.

And finally, as thousands gathered for the Oxygen Conference this week in Sydney, official photographer Josh Mikhaiel snapped this beautiful photo in a quiet moment:

“I can’t help but look for the story in everything.. I was photographing a conference this week and amidst the classic on stage “conferencey” type photo’s I caught this moment between on of the speakers (world renowned pastor & New York Times bestselling Author Francis Chan) and his daughter during a song. There’s something about snapping moments than 99% of the other 3000 people who were in the room wouldn’t have noticed that makes me feel special.” — Josh Mikhaiel (official photographer, Oxygen Conference 2014)