The United Nations has designated August 22 each year as its International Day Commemorating Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief. This should be an important day on the Christian calendar.
A church building in a rural context. / Photo: [link]Janilson Furtado[/link], Unsplash, CC0.
The United Nations has designated August 22 each year as its International Day Commemorating Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief.
This should be an important day on the Christian calendar. More Christians are killed for their faith than adherents of any other religion. It is modern-day martyrdom.
[destacate] The crisis of internally displaced persons in Nigeria is overwhelming for Christian leaders in the country[/destacate]Nigeria is the global hotspot for violence against Christians. On an almost daily basis, Christian communities are attacked. Christians are forced from their homes. Schoolgirls are kidnapped. Even seminaries have been attacked and students killed. Villages are burned. The crisis of internally displaced persons is overwhelming for pastors and Christian leaders in the country. Over 5,000 Christians are killed on an annual basis. The government security forces either are powerless to help or willfully turn a blind eye.Christians in parts of India regularly face mob violence. Hindu radicals use social media to mobilize around Christian funerals, preventing the grieving families from burying their loved ones. Incredibly, a member of the Indian Legislative Assembly, Gopichand Padalkar, made a speech in June offering 11 lakhs ($12,500 USD) for violence against Christian leaders! A recent report from the Evangelical Fellowship of India documents 334 violent incidents against Christians so far this year.
[destacate]Since the outbreak of conflict with Israel, for example, the government of Iran has arrested over 50 Christians, accusing them of being Zionists [/destacate]Converts to Christianity from Islam face the death penalty in many Muslim-majority countries. They also face severe pressure and threats of violence from their families and communities. If arrested, they are often tortured to get them to renounce their Christian faith. Since the outbreak of conflict with Israel, for example, the government of Iran has arrested over 50 Christians, accusing them of being Zionists and supporting Israel.
Persecution of God’s people can overwhelm us with sorrow and hopelessness. Yet Jesus told us that this would happen and that those who are persecuted are not cursed but blessed! He said:
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:10–12)
Does that mean we should sit back and do nothing? Not at all. The global church should be lamenting, praying over, and acting in response to these and similar atrocities.
When the apostle Paul was in chains for the gospel, he asked for several things from the Christian community. The first was prayer: “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains” (Colossians 4:3). Ephesians 6:19–20 also shows that Paul used every opportunity to share the gospel even while imprisoned.
[destacate]Christians can advocate for the persecuted. Many governments in North America and Europe make freedom of religion or belief a foreign-policy priority[/destacate]Paul implies in Philippians 1:13 that he needed practical assistance while in prison. This is true of those who face persecution around the world. Those who are internally displaced need food, shelter and hygiene. The families of those in prison need practical help, as the imprisoned person is often the breadwinner.
In addition to giving practical help, Christians can advocate for the persecuted. Many governments in North America and Europe make freedom of religion or belief a foreign-policy priority. There are also opportunities at the United Nations. For that reason, the World Evangelical Alliance has an office in Geneva to engage with the Human Rights Council.
Our office is working with national evangelical alliances in Pakistan and Nepal to develop systems to prevent violence and de-escalate potentially dangerous situations. We are working with two alliances in North Africa, speaking to their government officials when it is too dangerous for them to do so themselves. In both countries, laws passed more than 10 years ago allow minority churches to be registered, but no registration applications have been approved. This means that any evangelical Christian meetings are illegal.
We also make written and oral statements directly to the Human Rights Council on countries where Christians face violence. Recently, we addressed issues in India, Syria and Sudan.
August 22 commemorates victims of acts of violence based on religion or belief. It is a day to remember, pray and support those who have been persecuted, or who continue to face persecution, for their faith in Jesus Christ.
Janet Epp Buckingham, Director of the World Evangelical Alliance Office to the UN in Geneva.
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