Do We Condone Eva's Actions?
This is Part 3 in a three-part series of blog posts about the case of Eva Abdallah, accused of blasphemy last year in Tanzania. Click to read Part 1 and Part 2.
Does VOM condone what Eva did? No, we don’t. It would have been wiser not to choose an action that is so deeply offensive to Muslims. We would never encourage any Christian, persecuted or otherwise, to purposefully antagonize a non-believer. But while it may not have been the best choice, her desire to show God’s power and glory in a tense situation is admirable.
VOM's founder, Richard Wurmbrand, always encouraged reaching our enemies with love. His book, Jesus, Friend to Terrorists, is written in that vein. We shower those who persecute us with blessing and love, modeling Christ. Pastor Wurmbrand won over many antagonistic fellow prisoners, prison guards and interrogators that way.
But right or wrong, Pastor Wurmbrand also refused to let the sleepy church in the West forget about their suffering brothers and sisters. As a ministry charged with bringing the Western church into fellowship with the persecuted, VOM could not forget our sister Eva, suffering in prison because her faith motivated her persecutors to provoke her.
And the letter-writing efforts of so many of you here and around the world made a difference to Eva in prison. She was overwhelmed with the unexpected encouragement of the letters and cards. The colors, the verses and the hand-written notes were deeply meaningful. She told us, “From the bottom of my heart I felt extreme joy because I knew there were some Christians who were praying for me even though they didn’t know me.”
Now that she’s free, Eva wants to study the Bible more and continue to witness just as boldly as she always has. She’s living in a different city, but she’s just as determined to bring glory to the God who changed her life.
And this is not the end of her story. It’s just the beginning of how God will use this young woman for his purposes.
YOUR TURN: Does it change your opinion of Eva's story now that you know more details? Share your thoughts in the comments to this post.
To write letters to Christians currently in prison because of their faith and Christian activities, visit www.PrisonerAlert.com.
Dory P. has worked with VOM for six years. She grew up in Ecuador, met her husband while working with another mission organization, and now lives in Oklahoma. Between Dory, her husband and two-year-old son, they share five passports. Dory helps tell the stories of the persecuted through VOM's newsletter, and her husband serves with VOM's international department.