Persecution Blog

Evangelist in India Beaten

We recently received a report on a brave evangelist in India. This man oversees 12 pastors and has won more than 700 people to Christ. His leadership has infuriated some Hindus. A few months ago, they launched an attack on this brother with a hidden agenda to scare off other evangelists. The attack took place in broad daylight, and a local news station was present. They filmed video footage of the attack, and VOM was given a copy of this footage.

The evangelist was leading 40 students in a six-day college outreach. The team was driving down the road in an old yellow van when they ran into a barricade set up by the evangelist’s enemies. The attackers drug the students out of the van while verbally abusing them. Video footage shows the attackers dumping gospel tracts into a pile on the street, and burning them while chanting praises to their monkey god.

The evangelist was kicked, punched and hit with a megaphone that he used for preaching. His face was left swollen and bruised; his ribs were broken. While beating him, the attackers reminded the evangelist that they had martyred others who preached the gospel, and they could do the same to him.

As I watched this footage, my first inclination was anger. However, as I watched the meek spirit of the evangelist, my indignation quickly subsided into amazement. It is natural for a man to defend himself when his life is threatened, but not once did this brother hit one of his attackers back. It didn’t take me long to recognize something very familiar in the actions and reactions of this man. Even though this brother and I do not share culture, race and language, we share a faith that transcends all other aspects of our humanity. As I watched my brother get beaten in a public square, I recognized Jesus in him.

Several of the attackers were arrested after the beating. I pray that they saw the beauty of God’s love in the evangelist. Continue to pray for the evangelist. VOM has helped with his medical costs; pray that he can continue to preach the gospel without fear or hindrance. Pray that his students, who saw the attack, will follow in the brave, faithful footsteps of their teacher.

In the Shadow of the Cross with Glenn Penner

This morning I sat down with The Voice of the Martyr's Canada's very own Communications Director, and outstanding author, Glenn Penner.  Glenn has an immense knowledge of Christian persecution all over the world, and has penned the brilliant book titled In the Shadow of the Cross: A Biblical Theology of Persecution & Discipleship.

Glenn and I discuss his book, how Western Christians are different than most Christians throughout the world, how America has responded to Christian persecution and how all of us in the West can be motivated to learn and grow and be active in our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are being persecuted for righteousness sake.

This is a  serious look with a light touch interview that we hope you will listen to and tell your friends about.  Click here to download our 25 minute interview.

Visit The Voice of the Marytr's Canada's website.  Please also sign up for their weekly Persecution & Prayer Alerts, and visit their video page, Persecution TV,  where you can watch the lastest information on the persecuted church all over the world.

Please leave Glenn and I your feedback with a comment below.  Thank you for stopping by!

Coptic Christians Appeal to the US Government

Bradley Hope, staff reporter for The New York Sun has written an article titled Coptic Christians Ask America To Withhold Funding From Egypt.

Hope reports the following:

Christians have been raped, killed, and discriminated against without the perpetrators being brought to justice, the president of the International Christian Union, Monir Dawoud, said.

and

"We'd like the money the government gives to be a seed of democracy, not of persecution," a vice president of the International Christian Union, Joseph Hakim, said.

Martyr's Children Suffer

Allie Martin of Agape Press has written a good article titled Martyrs' Children Suffer as Indonesia's Anti-Christian Persecution Escalates.

The Voice of the Martyr's, Director of News Services Todd Nettleton, is quoted in the article saying, "Children whose mother and father are killed by radical Muslims -- what do they do? How do they continue to get their education?" Nettleton asks. The answer, he points out, is a well-meaning but frequently impractical generosity on the part of relatives.

"The Indonesian culture has a great love for children, and so it's very common for family members to take in the orphans and to allow them to live with them," the ministry spokesman says. "But obviously that's a financial strain, and to continue your education costs money."

Orphans that are taken in by family members may be wanted and loved, Nettleton asserts, but the care and education of these children are still expensive. "So if the family is very poor, that's a very difficult thing," he says. "And if there is no family, obviously that's a difficult thing," he adds.

...

"I think that the radical Muslims have gained more and more political power," Nettleton says, "and they have used that to pressure the government to support their efforts to close down the churches."

Indonesia's constitution purportedly guarantees religious freedom, and "the government talks a good game about religious freedom," the VOM spokesman contends, "but more and more in the last 12 months, we're seeing [that government officials] don't actually step up to the plate and protect Christians."

Please continue your prayers for Indonesia.

Muslims Desecrate the American Flag

Earlier today I was listening to Rush Limbaugh and he was talking about the new movie United 93 that is opening this week in theaters. He shared how the movie definitely shows the terrorists the way they really are, you know, as Muslim terrorists. Guys who wanted to kill Americans, destroy the Whitehouse etc.

He shared that there wasn't any gratuitous violence or bloodshed, but instead a relatively realistic depiction of the horror that took place on flight 93. He also said that most of the people who left the preview showing left either crying, or like they had just attended a funeral. Feel free to read the actual transcript of what Rush actually said...as I paraphrased.

With that said, let me now direct you to the following link, taken from The Intelligence Summit's website which depicts our American flag being desecrated by Muslims, and not just any Muslims, but terrorist Muslims who want to see America destroyed.

If you read this blog regularly then you know that the religion of Islam is the largest threat to Christians around the world. Despite what many think is a religion of peace, the facts and evidence proves otherwise.

Download Desecrate_flag.wmv (3794.7K)

Eyes Taped Open

Are you a thinker?  I'm asking because after reading todays Extreme Devotion, I was thinking about how often I tend not to think about God in my reaction to persecution.  The story below amazes me.  The spiritual maturity of some of the saints of God who are being persecuted brutally never ceases to amaze me.  I know my heart is not even remotely pure, and I wonder how much more I would see God the way this sister in Christ did when she was being persecuted so horribly.  I think this devotion is a great example of taking the word of God literally, and not only saying I believe in God, but really truly acting in that belief.  I'm going to be thinking about this more today.  Let me know what you think after you're done reading it.  Please leave us a comment.

“I purified my heart of the fear of men, and I learned to see God.”

Me Ling was young when she was arrested for her Christian activities in Communist China. During times of interrogation, the police would torture her to try to force her to betray friends in the underground church.

At first Me Ling was extremely fearful, and she could not see the purpose that God had for her in that terrible place. But then she remembered the teachings of her pastor who had said, “Real suffering lasts only a minute, and then we spend eternity with our awesome Savior.”

Join Us in Blogging for the Persecuted Church

Did you know that we have a great program for you to join?  Last year we announced that we would love to have any blogger who loves the persecuted church to come and join us in getting the word out in the blogosphere.  The program just requires you putting our ad on your site so people can find us here on the web, and then writing two posts a month.

Many people have joined us and I'm inviting you to join us also.  For more information, please see this previous post, or just sign up right there on the right side bar.

Muslim Mob Shuts Down House Churches in Indonesia

I received the following from VOM Media today.  As I read this article of the persecution of saints in Indonesia, I can't help but remember the three ladies who are currently serving time in prison for simply teaching Sunday school.  This story is just as sad.  Please remember the Indonesian saints in your daily prayers.  They are in need of comfort, and strength.

In the Indonesian city of Bogor in West Java on April 23^rd, a Muslim mob of about 200 and a crowd of supporters from surrounding areas shut down a Sunday morning service at the Gunungputri house complex. With hundreds of pleased onlookers standing by, the church was evacuated and emptied of its contents. The protesting demonstrators insisted that illegal religious activities were taking place in the house because nearby neighbors had never submitted a recommendation allowing Christian gatherings there. The owner of the house finally gave in to the mob’s demand to stop holding Sunday services. A few policemen showed up on the scene as women from the congregation cried while their church was officially closed.

Muslim Bomb Demolishes Church in Ethiopia

Sources from Voice of the Marytrs are reporting that five Christians were wounded by a bomb blast that completely destroyed their church the night before Easter Sunday.   The explosion was triggered by Muslims, who threw the bomb at Emmanuel Church while more than 100 congregants were worshipping.

Sadly, one of the victims of this terrorist attack has received life-threatening injuries as a result.  And if that is not enough persecution for those Christians in Ethiopia, the local government has also joined in the persecution as the police have publicly threatened,  any follower of Christ they find sharing their faith with others, with jail time.

Imagine if this is your church and you were the Christian that was almost killed in this Muslim terrorist attack.  Would you pray?  Please do, and remember those who are persecuting our family in Christ in your prayers.  May they have a Damascus road experience like St. Paul did.

Chinese Repression Extends to Online World

The NY Times magazine published a very insightful article over the weekend, one that delves into the amount of control the Communist government exerts over Chinese users' internet experience.

While Christian persecution isn't mentioned in the article, it does mention that Chinese internet companies are expected to block pages about "evil cults or superstition," two code words often used to label unregistered house church groups.

The overwhelming desire of the Communist government is control: they want control over what web surfers can and cannot have access to. Even further, though, they want the web companies to exert this control. Internet laws are written vaguely, and each company is expected to enact their own control over what is accessible to their users. Unfortunately, even U.S. companies are involved. Yahoo handed over in 2004 the personal information about a business journalist, Shi Tao. Today, Shi is serving a 10-year prison sentence for leaking informationto a pro-democracy web site.

It is that same drive for control that affects China's unregistered churches, those who refuse to have their worship controlled by a government that denies the existence of God.

Pray for Christians in China.