Persecution Blog

Being Christ to Our Enemies

Having experienced the presence and forgiveness of God prepares a person to forgive others and be a gracious influence in their lives. Gracia Burnham, along with her husband Martin, were abducted and held by Marxist guerillas in the Philippines. They were in captivity for a year. Martin lost his life in a rescue attempt by government forces. Gracia described Martin’s attitude and spirit during those days in the following terms:

“Martin gave evidence of what I might term the Jesus Syndrome: to walk through the midst of a cruel situation with poise and self-control, saying only what would edify and build-up. He was able somehow to bless those who meant us harm—not just a verbal pleasantry (the quick “God bless you…”) but in real and practical terms that left a lasting impact” (To Fly Again).

The point is clear that, as Christians, we cannot love the systems that perpetuate pain and evil but we can love our persecutors, as persons with eternal souls. We may not be able to change the system but we can be used to win that person to Christ and remove them from the domination of the evil system in which they are caught. Richard Wurmbrand writes that the Christians who have been in Communist prisons don’t have the smell of bitterness against Communists like the three Hebrew children who were delivered from the fiery furnace did not have the smell of fire or smoke in them (Tortured for Christ, 63). In spite of the rise of Islamic extremism, Communists are still the main persecutors of  Christians in the world.

Such a spirit or attitude is so radically different than what the world experiences that it can be used by God to bring them around to considering Christ. The life transformed by Christ and is Christ-like is a powerful tool for winning people to Christ. Richard Wurmbrand said that “to believe in Christ is not such a great thing. To become like him is truly great” (In God’s Underground, 135).

Roy Stults, PhD, is the Online Workshop Coordinator and Educational Services Coordinator for The Voice of the Martyrs. He graduated from Olivet Nazarene University (BA and MA), Nazarene Theological Seminary (M.Div.), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Doctor of Missiology), and The University of Manchester (England) with a PhD (theology). A Vietnam veteran, Dr. Stults served as a missionary for 19 years and pastored U.S. churches for eight years. Prior to joining VOM, he was a Professor of Religion at Oklahoma Wesleyan University.

Missions: God's Love Compels Us

“Brother John” helps lead the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. He has served as a missionary in Muslim nations, and today is involved in recruiting and sending mission workers to the hardest and most unreached places in the world.

Listen to VOM Radio this week as Brother John shares the challenge of sending workers into harm’s way, what motivates him to keep sending even after some workers are martyred, and the joy of seeing God move in Muslim nations. John also shares thoughts on how American churches can do a better job of preparing and inspiring more people to hear God’s call to take the gospel to the world’s toughest places.

We’ll also hear more from songwriter Steve Merkel about using music to share the love of Jesus around the world, and his experiences in Islamic nations.

Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the VOM Radio podcast on iTunes or Google Play.

15 Years Since Burnham Kidnapping

Today marks 15 years since Martin and Gracia Burnham were kidnapped in the Philippines. The missionary couple was on a getaway to celebrate their 18th wedding anniversary when they were kidnapped by radical Muslim Abu Sayyaf fighters. For more than a year, and under the total control of their captors, they were constantly on the move, living in primitive conditions in the jungle, evading capture from the Philippine military, enduring gun battles and witnessing unspeakable atrocities committed by the men of Abu Sayyaf Group.

On the afternoon of June 7, 2002, over a year since their abduction, the Philippine military attempted a rescue. Tragically, Martin was killed during the gunfight. Wounded, but alive, Gracia was rescued and returned home under a national spotlight.

This week the Burnham's hometown paper, The Wichita Eagle, did an in-depth story about the family now, and especially how Martin and Gracia's three children have been affected by their parents' kidnapping and their dad's death. Here's how Zach, who was 10 when his parents were kidnapped, described his response:

“I shut off,” he said. “I didn’t want to deal with the fact that I might not see them again.”

His grandparents had told him how important it was to talk to the media, so the world would want to save his parents. But it felt like a chore, and he responded listlessly, barely looking up from a rocket ship drawing in one interview.

Mindy knew talking to reporters was about the only thing she could do to help her parents, she said, and yet she remembers refusing to cry for a Christmas news special and rolling her eyes during a photo shoot on a Friday when she wanted to be at a school dance.

When the kids finally heard from their mother after more than a year apart, Jeff, the oldest, bragged to his mother that he had called the police on a TV crew that had set up on the lawn of their house.

Jeff said he hated how some reporters would try to manipulate their emotions, and to this day, his siblings say, Jeff will not talk to the media.

Television reporters wanted to film Zach’s 11th birthday party.

“It was my birthday. I didn’t want to think about my parents’ hostage situation,” he said.

“That one, that was the worst for me. I was just bitter the whole day.”

The story also included a video interview. Gracia also talked about God's faithfulness to her children in an interview with The Voice of the Martyrs Radio.

Gracia regularly shares her story, and the lessons that God has taught her, at VOM ADVANCE Conferences around the United States. The next conference Gracia will be a part of will be June 11 in Auburn, Maine.

We encourage you today to thank the Lord for the Godly legacy of Martin Burnham, and to pray for Gracia and her family as they continue to be a family that God can use.

Send Notes to Families of Imprisoned Christians

Have you ever received an encouraging note while you were going through a difficult time? It is refreshing to know that someone cares enough to send a card.

Now you can write directly to families of Christian imprisoned for their faith to let them know they are not alone. Add your personal note to VOM’s new “Never Alone” cards, which include Genesis 39:20–21 in Arabic, Farsi and Chinese. VOM workers will then deliver these notes to the families of prisoners.

The “Never Alone” cards are offered in sets of 25 or 100 at low cost. It’s a great project for a small group or even an entire church. Let families of persecuted believers know they are not alone.

ORDER "NEVER ALONE" CARDS

 

VOM's Jason Peters Featured on ChurchLeaders Podcast

VOM’s Dr. Jason Peters recently shared stories of Christians facing Islamic extremists with Andrew Hess of ChurchLeader’s Podcast.

They discussed the current state of persecution around the world, and specific ways that we can pray and support those who are experiencing persecution. 

Peters noted that in ISIS-controlled areas of the Middle East, Christians can “either convert to Islam or they can stand for Christ and lose everything they own, or maybe even their life.” When asked about the graphic photos and testimonies that often accompany persecution stories, Peters responded, “This is our family. We need to know their stories; we are not going to sugar coat what’s happening.”

He then shared a concern that many Christians have as they consider their own response to persecution. “I wonder, would I be able to stand up under this kind of persecution? I’ll be honest with you, the only answer is yes, because it wouldn’t be me, it would be Christ in me.”

VOM’s new book, “I Am N” shares riveting accounts of believers who choose to follow Christ.  As Dr. Peters reports, “We are not going to be paralyzed by fear because God has helped us embrace risk…God is glorified when Christians do things that just don’t make any human sense, they just, they don’t add up.”

Dr. Peters shares how persecution “purifies the church,” by sharing that persecuted believers frequently make statements like this: “When everything was stripped away and all I had left was Jesus, I realized that Jesus is enough.”

The interview concludes with a reminder for listeners that many of these persecuted followers of Jesus have a solid hope and eternal perspective. As fellow Christians, we should look forward to the day when we will meet these dear family members face-to-face.  According to Peters, “It’s going to be really neat in heaven one day to be sitting around and to be able to meet people who have been martyred.”  May we be inspired by their example to serve faithfully—wherever God has called us.

You can hear more challenging interviews like this every week on VOM Radio.  Subscribe today via iTunes or Google Play Music.

New York Times Covers China Cross Removals

In the front section of the New York Times on Sunday was a story on the ongoing destruction of churches and removal of crosses from church buildings. The article says as many as 1700 crosses have been taken down in the past two years in Zhejiang Province; Bob Fu, president of China Aid Association, told VOM Radio the number may be even higher.

A portion of the Times article explores the pressure being brought to bear on China’s Christians—even those who are part of the State-sanctioned, registered church:

As the authorities pressed the campaign [to remove church crosses], prominent Protestant and Catholic leaders across China, including senior figures in the government’s religious affairs bureaucracy, spoke out against it in sermons and on social media.

One of them was Gu Yuese, the pastor of one of the biggest churches in the Chinese-speaking world, the Chongyi Church in the provincial capital of Hangzhou. As one of the best-known Protestant leaders in China, Mr. Gu was influential, and his criticism resonated beyond the region.

“These actions are a flagrant violation of the policy of religious freedom that the party and the government have been implementing and continuously perfecting for more than 60 years,” he wrote in a statement released on official government letterhead.

Then he was silenced. In January, the police detained Mr. Gu and charged him with misusing church funds. A few days later, another pastor in Zhejiang who had also spoken out was detained on similar charges.

“It’s a method to make us pay attention,” said the pastor of a government-run church in Wenzhou. “None of us have financial training, so if you send in an accountant, they will probably find something wrong.”

Several clergy members in the region said they were under pressure to demonstrate their loyalty to the Communist Party. Some churches, for example, have begun extolling Mr. Xi’s campaign to promote “core socialist values” — a slogan meant to offer a secular belief system that bolsters the party’s legitimacy.

Other churches have begun displaying their building permits, implicitly endorsing the government’s authority to approve or reject church construction, including crosses.

“We have to show that we are loyal Christians,” said an employee of the historic Chengxi Church in Wenzhou, “or else we could face trouble.”

Please pray for our Christian brothers and sisters in China, that they will remain faithful to Christ in spite of the threat of trouble. Pray also that government leaders and local officials will come to know Christ in a personal way.

Partnering to Tell The Stories of Persecuted Believers

Telling inspiring stories of our persecuted family has always been at heart of VOM's ministry. We are thankful for wonderful ministry partners who come alongside to help us tell those stories in various forms—books, songs, films—to impact and inspire more Christians with the courage of our persecuted family and the faithfulness of God.

This week on VOM Radio we'll meet some of those partners, including Cris Doornbos, CEO of David C. Cook publishers; Steve Merkel, who co-wrote the song "We Stand As One" for the I Am N album; and Bill Curtis, President of Vision Video and producer of The Torchlighters series of animated films telling the stories of Christian heroes, including heroes who boldly stood for their faith in the face of persecution.

Listen to hear how our persecuted family has inspired each of these men—and their families—and how they are spreading those stories even further.

 

Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the VOM Radio podcast on iTunes or Google Play.

Weekend Reminder: Doing God's Work

A brief reminder to pray about and to carry with you into this weekend, from Sabina Wurmbrand, the wife of VOM's founder, Richard Wurmbrand. Sabina spent three years in a labor camp in communist Romania because of her Christian work alongside her husband. Pastor Richard spent 14 years in prison.

Order a copy of Sabina's book, The Pastor's Wife.

Christians in Syria Rebuilding

Last week CBN News aired a piece by Gary Lane, Gary Lane | CBN.com (beta) Senior International Reporter and long-time friend and coworker of VOM, from inside the Syrian city of Maaloula, one of the world's oldest Christian cities.

Gary's video shows clearly how radical Muslim terrorists damaged the city, focusing in particular on churches and other Christian sites. But it also shows how Christians are rebuilding after Syrian government forces freed their city. Pray for Christians in Syria as you watch Gary's report.

 

Grace To Live in Evil Times

A part of Christian eschatology is the conviction and belief that evil will intensify in the last days (Cullmann, “Eschatology and Mission in the New Testament,” Theology and the Christian Mission, 46). This began at the Day of Pentecost when the church was born and continues until today. There have been times of relative peace and times of the intense manifestation of evil, but there is little doubt in the minds of many that the situation in the world is not getting better. It seems especially intense at the moment.

The good news of the kingdom preached by Jesus came in the middle of what was called ‘the present age.’ It is to be contrasted to the age to come. Jesus agreed with the apocalyptic thinkers of his time that evil will dominate this age. It will become so intensely evil that at the end complete chaos will reign. The conflict motif which is found in the Olivet Discourse and which characterized both Christ’s mission and the mission of his disciples will not be resolved until the age to come (Ladd, Presence, 327). If the kingdom was not present there would be no conflict; there would only be the total domination of powers of evil. But the kingdom is present and it resists Satan and his kingdom and it will do so until the age to come is ushered in.

There is a mentality in the Western world that things are going to gradually get better and better, and the fact that, in reality, there is more religious persecution today than ever, it is difficult for the Western church to accept the idea that things will gradually get worse, but it will be more evident as the present age draws to an end. There will be false messiahs (Lesslie Newbigin believes this will be in the realm of “messianic politics”) where deluded persons claim to be the messiah and have an agenda that ultimately represents the move away from God and toward evil. This will cause great suffering in the church but it also the occasion for the Spirit’s witness, which is to be given to all nations (Newbigin, The Open Secret, 38-39). The calling of the faithful is to proclaim that the “reign of God had conquered the power of evil.” As they proclaim this, the Holy Spirit will use the occasion of the faithful who endure their rejection as an occasion to witness to the nations (Newbigin, 39). Newbigin summarizes he scenario of the end times as follows: “The scenario leads on into a still more dreadful crisis where evil enthrones itself in the very city of holiness (Mark 13:14-33), and through the dissolution of the natural order itself (13:24-31) will come to the final triumph of God, which will be an act of pure sovereign power and grace. In his own time an in his own way God will fulfill his purpose. Therefore, those to whom the secret has been disclosed must be ready and watchful, faithful to the commission they have received (13:32-37).” (Newbigin, The Open, 39).

G.E. Ladd notes that Jesus in his Olivet Discourse said unmistakably that his disciples would be vulnerable to the “demonic evil that plagues this age.” The conflict would intensify and “would reach a convulsive end in the appearance of the Antichrist at the end of the age” (Th Last Things, 58). So the trials and persecution the church endures today which is the result of increasing conflict between the two kingdoms was recognized as being the normal outcome of such a conflict (65). Society will devolve to the point where the state or government begins to malfunction. It will no long be an instrument of law and order but will become a totalitarian system that “defies God and demands the worship of men.” People will no longer punished for doing evil but will suffer for doing good. “This is the demonic state” (comments on 2 Thessalonians, Last, 68). The deification of the state is an example of the ‘principle of lawlessness’ inherent in and the cause of social disintegration. The state, which was ordained by God to stand as a defense against the powers of chaos, will break down completely, allowing chaos free reign.

This sounds bleak and hopeless, except for the Kingdom of God from which God rules in our hearts grants us grace to live through these evil times and maintain our faith. Tribulation and distress will not separate us from the love and grace of God. Glory to God!

Roy Stults, PhD, is the Online Workshop Coordinator and Educational Services Coordinator for The Voice of the Martyrs. He graduated from Olivet Nazarene University (BA and MA), Nazarene Theological Seminary (M.Div.), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Doctor of Missiology), and The University of Manchester (England) with a PhD (theology). A Vietnam veteran, Dr. Stults served as a missionary for 19 years and pastored U.S. churches for eight years. Prior to joining VOM, he was a Professor of Religion at Oklahoma Wesleyan University.