World's Christians pray for the persecuted

More than 300,000 churches in 100 countries will take part in the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (see link #1 below) Nov. 14, organizer Steve Haas told Religion Today.

...About 150,000 Christians are killed every year for their faith, 2 million are persecuted, and millions more live where the freedom to worship and evangelize are restricted, Haas' organization says. World Evangelical Fellowship (see link #2 below), denominations, and parachurch groups started IDOP in 1996 to update churches worldwide about persecution, urge them to pray, and mobilize them to act on behalf of suffering fellow Christians.

...Christians in free nations are waking up to the issue of persecution, Haas said. The movement has "grown incredibly" and leaders are encouraged by the large number of people making the issue a personal cause, he said. "Each year the issue has mushroomed and churches large and small are making it their own." Political leaders are responding because Christians are raising their voices in an informed, intelligent manner, he said.

..."Christians are seeing that this is a family issue," Haas said. "A Sudanese mother separated from her child or a Chinese pastor thrown in jail is a member of their own [spiritual] family." That perspective makes the issue "more than a matter of statistics and geography."

...New awareness of persecution has made a big difference. Some Christians doubted reports of persecution against Christians when Haas started three years ago, he said. "There was more of a 'show-me' attitude, but that rarely happens any more." E-mail and the World Wide Web have helped persecuted Christians get their stories to the outside world, he said. "There is more reporting and more 'real-time' reporting, so that people know what's happening in days instead of weeks."

...Involvement in the Day of Prayer has increased "exponentially" each year in all branches and denominations of Christianity, he said. Most churches hold special prayer meetings, or pray during their Sunday services, and some perform skits or sponsor events to highlight the plight of persecuted Christians.

...A Denver congregation formed task force. The group gathers daily news about the persecuted church and distributes it to members who pray and write letters to congressmen or embassies of countries that persecute Christians. The group has helped religious refugees gain asylum in safe countries.

...Several parachurch organizations help guide churches. Longtime advocates of the persecuted church, including The Voice of the Martyrs (see link #3 below), Open Doors (see link #4 below), Frontline Fellowship (see link #5 below), International Christian Concern (see link #6 below), Iranian Christians International (see link #7 below), and Partners International (see link #8 below) provide resources and information.

...Christians can order a video from IDOP with the testimonies of four Christians who have suffered persecution, and a bulletin-insert announcing the Day of Prayer. The $15 kit can be ordered at the IDOP website (see link #9 below) or by calling (888) 538-7772.

...China, Afghanistan, Burma, Iran, Iraq, Serbia, and Sudan are the leading violators of religious freedom, the U.S. State Department said recently. China's government does not tolerate unregistered religious groups and routinely arrests leaders of the underground Protestant and Catholic churches. Islamic leaders in Afghanistan and Iran severely punish anyone who violates Muslim religious laws, forbidding Christian evangelism. In Egypt, Coptic Christians have come under increased persecution.

...Sudan may be the single most dangerous place to be a Christian. The Islamic Khartoum government has waged a 15-year war to impose Sharia law on the country, targeting Christians and animists in the south for elimination, Christian leaders say. More than 2 million people have died in the war, news reports say.

...The church in Sudan presses on, and is the fastest-growing Christian body in the Muslim world, Haas said. Sudanese "have nothing in terms of physical resources and they are suffering from disease, but the church has a real, sincere faith that is awe-inspiring. When we ask what we can do for them, they always ask us to pray. They have a tremendous need for a sense of solidarity from the West."

RELATED LINKS:
1: http://www.persecutedchurch.org
2: http://www.WorldEvangelical.org
3: http://www.persecution.com
4: http://www.opendoorsusa.org
5: http://www.itmi.org
6: http://www.persecution.org
7: http://www.farsinet.com/ici
8: http://www.partnersintl.org
9: http://www.persecutedchurch.org

From: www.ReligionToday.com - October 28, 1999

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