Persecution Blog

Brutal Attack on Christians in Vietnam

Not too long ago I was sitting in church and thinking about the persecuted church.  As I thought about Christian persecution I began to wonder what was truly worse - persecution or apathy?  I have read stories of persecuted believers who are praying for American Christians because they see how much we have here and realize that it must be hard to walk out our faith in such a land where we literally have everything.  On the other hand, as a Western Christian it is very easy to see how a brother in a foreign land who is being threatened with death, imprisonment or physical harm may be worse.  The thing we have in common is the need for prayer.  With that in mind, would you join me in praying for the following things this week?  This is from The Voice of the Martyrs Canada office.

Brutal Attack on Mennonite Headquarters in Vietnam

The Voice of the Martyrs sources in Vietnam report that on May 22, 2006 at 2:30 pm, a raid was conducted on the Mennonite house church situated at C5 H1 Tran Nao St, Binh Khanh ward, District 2, in Ho Chi Minh City.  As many as fifty security officers, police and hired thugs forced their way into the building, kicked down doors and began to severely beat the pastors, the Christian construction workers and other believers present.  They were punched and beaten mercilessly by electric prods and cudgels. Pastor Nguyen Hong Quang received shocks from an electric prod and was beaten by a cudgel. Another church worker, Nguyen Hieu Nghia, was kicked in the chest and struck by a cudgel. Brother Tran Minh Hoa was hit and forcibly pulled down from the roof. The attackers destroyed repairs being done to the house, which also serves as the home of Pastor Quang.  All the materials used on the building were confiscated by the authorities and brought to the Binh Khanh ward.

...

A number of church members were arrested, including former Mennonite
prisoners Nguyen Hong Quang, Pham Ngoc Thach, Nguyen Huu Nghia and Le Thi Hong Lien.  Some were handcuffed and others were dragged to the Binh Khanh ward office where, once they were out of public view, they were beaten further. Some of them were released after a few hours of interrogation. Others were released at midnight. The last to be released was Pastor Quang,who was freed on Tuesday evening (May 23), about 28 hours after his arrest.

...

Pray that the building project will be allowed to continue. Pray that those who sustained injuries will recover quickly and be able to continue the work God has given them. Pray that they will be able to find joy in the fact that they are able to participate in the sufferings of Christ and find hope in the fact that He will be glorified through them (1 Peter 4:12-13).

For more information on the ongoing persecution of Vietnam's Christians, go
to http://www.persecution.net/country/vietnam.htm.  Pictures taken during
the attack can be viewed at http://www.persecution.net/news/vietnam51.html.

Blogs for Good Highlights Persecution Blog

I would like to thank Paul Chaney, the guy who actually came up with the idea for this blog, for highlighting the Persecution Blog on his new blog called Blogs for Good.

Paul is truly a visionary and has a tremendous passion to see bloggers use the great technology we have to produce good fruit.  I am more than confident that anything Paul touches will turn to gold...

Why not click on over and say hi to Paul and thank him for his great work!

Pray for North Korea

One of the countries that has been on my mind and heart in recent weeks is North Korea, quite possibly the most-closed nation on earth and one of the worst persecutors of Christians.

I read the book Rogue Regime on my last airplane ride, and found it to be a fascinating look inside the "Hermit Kingdom." Then today World Net Daily posted an article on North Korea's military conducting chemical tests on their own citizens...even babies that soldiers have just taken from their mother's arms! This is a government that places less than zero value on the lives of its citizens while the dictator reportedly has 10,000 bottles of wine in his wine cellar and buys millions of dollars worth of Swiss watches every year.

Finally, I discovered a great blog by an American who had the chance to visit North Korea on a brief tourist visit. His insights are at times funny and at times scary as he shares an inside look at the most closed nation on earth. Interestingly, he says that the tourists were absolutely prohibited from talking to or interacting with the general North Korean public; they could talk only to their guides, and they couldn't walk more than 100 yards from the hotel. His pictures are also well worth a visit to the blog.

Pray for North Korea, and for Christ's followers there.

Todd Nettleton is the Director of Media Development at The Voice of the Martyrs--USA.

A Poll

Did you know that there is a poll you can take over at the main The Voice of the Marytrs website?

This weeks question is Which other VOM Web site do you visit most often?

www.prisoneralert.com

www.biblesunbound.com

www.kidsofcourage.com

www.vombooks.com

www.persecutionblog.com

www.vomgroups.com

www.basicfellowship.com

I was very happy to see that at the time of this posting the persecution blog is in second place.  Call  me competitive, but I say, let's make it number one.  Go vote now!

SUDAN: Attention Brought to Darfur Crisis

One of the greatest tragedies of the 21st century is the continuing  genocide that is taking place in Darfur.  This crisis has been a hot topic in the blogosphere for quite some time now, and I'm happy to say that bloggers continue to talk about this vital issue.

Here are some points about the situation in the Sudan in case you are not aware of the horror that is taking place there in Darfur.

• Since 2003, 200,000 to 400,000 Sudanese have died and approximately 2.5 million have been displaced in the Darfur region of western Sudan.

• The genocide has come at the hands of government-supported Arab militia groups known as the Janjaweed. The marauding bands backed by the government of Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, have looted, burned homes, raped, slaughtered and enslaved Sudanese throughout this region.

• A “Save Darfur Now” rally of 10 to 15 thousand gathered in Washington D.C. on April 29th to spur the U.S. government to put an end to the genocide. Click here to see pictures and learn more about this event.

• Despite suffering intense persecution at the hands of Muslims, Dinka Christians have reached out to Muslim refugees in the bordering areas of Darfur.

• Through the Sudan Life Pack program and other aid, The Voice of the Martyrs has equipped Sudanese Christians such as the Dinkas to share God’s Word, love and provisions with Darfurian refugees. The packs include Bibles and basic survival tools, such mosquito net, a pot, matches, soap and more.

Please keep all of our brothers and sisters in your prayers.

Persecution Blog Carnival #2

Welcome to this weeks Persecution Blog Carnival.  I hope you are edified and encouraged by the entries we received this week and as you read please also pray.

We begin with Cindy Grayson who has entered a post titled What The VOM (Voice of the Martyrs) Do... , she also writes about how a Voice of the Martyrs article in their monthly magazine touched her.  Very good reading.

Barbara Sanders also submits to us this week a post called Iran Christian Convert Faces Possible Death Penaty . This post tells of a former Muslim who converted to Christianity and the difficulties they are now facing.

Pastor Jon has submitted two entries for this week.  The first entry simply called Tortured from "On this day : 365 amazing and inspiring stories about saints, martyrs & heroes" Excellent story of martyrdom.  And the second entry is titled Time: Yours To Use Or To Waste based on the book Extreme Devotion.

That's it for this week.  Remember to email me your entries for next week by Thursday.  Email them to [email protected]

Have a blessed weekend and a great Memorial Day!

Baby Dies While Mother and Others Are Imprisoned in Eritrea

The following prayer request is so important for all of us to pray for.  Can you imagine if you were thrown in prison for "Actively witnessing about Christ" and while you're in prison, away from your baby - your baby dies?

Ghenet Gebremariam's six-month-old baby, Hazaiel Daniel, was desperately ill at the time. Two days later, the baby died. When security police heard the news, they released Ghenet on bail. The other two women, Meslale Abraham and Alganshe Tsagay, remain in custody. No reason is given for their arrest other than their involvement in a church banned by the government.

Please pray for the Lord to comfort Ghenet and also that the other two women would be released soon.

Iranian Christian Arrested for Holding Bible Study

How is your prayer life?  Are you passionate or apathetic?  Well, I hope that if you love the Lord and are praying often for the persecuted church that the following prayer requests from this weeks prayer alerts motivate you to go boldly to the throne of grace.

Let's begin with the opportunity we have to pray for an Iranian Christian who was arrested for conducting Bible studies in his home. According to a May 22 report from Compass Direct, Ali Kaboli (51) converted to Christianity as a teenager andhas been serving in lay ministry for decades.  Over the years, he has been repeatedly arrested, threatened and interrogated and has faced travel
restrictions and an arson attack on his home but has remained undeterred.

On May 2, secret police arrested him in his carpentry workship in Gorgan. With the exception of one brief telephone call, he has been refused contact with any visitors since his arrest. Since his arrest, several of the Christians who attended Bible studies in his home have been questioned by police. Though he has not yet been charged, Kaboli faces the possibility of prosecution for holding "illegal" religious meetings in his home. He could also be charged under Iran's apostasy laws for converting from Islam, even though it took place thirty-three years ago. Kaboli is married with five grown children.

Pray that Ali will know the peace and joy of the Lord during his time of isolation and imprisonment (Philippians 4:7). Pray for strength for his family and members of the church. Pray for Christians throughout Iran who are facing opposition for their faith.

For more information on the persecution of Christians in Iran, go to http://www.persecution.net/country/iran.htm. Read Glenn Penner's weblogs on May 19 and 20 on reports that Iran plans to impose dress codes on non-Muslims.

Persecution Carnival #2 Tomorrow

Hello Everyone,

This is just a reminder that tomorrow is our second persecution blog carnival.  If you haven't sent your entries in yet, you still have time.

Please email Stacy at [email protected] with PERSECUTION BLOG CARNIVAL in the subject line, and please make sure your entry has something to do with Christian persecution or The Voice of the Martyrs.

I look forward to reading what you've done this week!

The Father, Son and Democratic Spirit?

I recently heard a speaker who is a legal scholar and a Christian from China. This man has helped farmers regain land illegally taken by corrupt officials, mobilized a recall and even sued the Chinese State Council.

This man is bringing democracy and legal aid to the Chinese people, which I deeply respect. However, I sometimes assume that if all countries adopted the same economic and religious liberties as America, then the world would quickly be evangelized and Jesus could return. Therefore, I often find myself preaching the need for democracy in communist countries. Democracy means freedom, and before communists can truly understand freedom in Christ, they must first be rescued from bad political ideology. Right?

Here is what the speaker said:

“And the deeper I knew the Chinese society, the more I realized that really, the root of the problem in China is not a lack of democracy. It is a problem of the soul, the spirit. If the Chinese soul is not fundamentally changed, nothing will truly change. The Chinese economy is booming, but the whole nation’s spirit is like a desert.”

It seems this wise man has a different idea about how to bring freedom to Communists. He realizes that complete political freedom will do nothing to heal a nation unless the people are first granted freedom in Christ and the spiritual healing that comes from a relationship with Him. Although it is still important to defend liberty, the primary concern of Christians must be people and their spiritual condition.