The worldwide persecution of Christians is a story that gets few headlines. Robert Nicholson of the Philos Project recently told Fox News, “There are many places on earth where being a Christian is the most dangerous thing you can be.”
Sadly, America media routinely downplay Christian persecution. In fact, National Review
reported in 2014 that “most Americans are shielded” from most stories of persecution because the U.S. media is “reluctant” to report them, in order to protect certain politicians.
Cases of Christian persecution are rising in our nation, as well. In 2014, a report titled, “Undeniable: The Survey of Hostility to Religion in America,” documented throngs of legal attacks in America, that target: Ten Commandments displays; public prayers; Christian-themed prison programs; Christ-centered Christmas displays; and Christian employees’ free-speech rights.
How should we, as believers, respond to this? First, we must trust God. Romans 8:28 encourages us to remember that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (NKJV). As my dad famously reminded us, “Don’t quit.” His defense of the Gospel continues to inspire us to carry on, fully believing that God will be glorified even through our sufferings and trials.
Finally, we need to pray. Release International, which monitors Christian persecution, says we should pray that persecuted Christians “remain strong in faith and trust despite physical and psychological abuse.” I encourage you, my friends, to keep our church planters, our pastors and our missionaries in your prayers. It is a troubled world, but we must take the Gospel into as many places as possible before His glorious return.
Your friend in Christ,
