The Persecuted Church

[pastor's wife]

Growing up in the IFB, I learned about Christian martyrs of the past but very little about persecuted Christians in our time. Our churches never mentioned organizations like Voice of the Martyrs or participated in any Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church because we were more concerned with separating from doctrinal error than loving the universal church. I remember commenting on Christians being persecuted in some foreign country and being told that "they were Catholics" as if that discounted their situation.

It is not my place to judge each person's heart, but to me, when someone is killed because they proclaim a belief in Christ and His death on the cross, I should care about it.

I started thinking about this today after reading this news article: http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%...40&h=1d539

It makes me mad to see basic human rights trampled like this. "You don't believe like we do? Fine, we'll kill you!" Those blasphemy laws are horrible too. I just get so mad thinking about it! It really is a challenge to me as a Christian because I don't feel like praying for the bad guys. I feel like destroying them. Once again, I see my need for Christ who can give me a heart of compassion for people so trapped in a religious system that they believe shooting another human in front of his mother's house pleases their god.

But I also want to have compassion for the victims, not ignore them because they're Catholic.

[IFB No More]

We need to remember the churches/Christians in the Middle East. Especially those in Libya - things are pretty messy right there. Not just Catholicism the fundys ignore - also the Copts in Egypt.

In fact, we should grieve when anyone, not just a Christian, is killed in the name of religion or ideology, more so if they are defenseless children. Any ideology, religious, racial, ethnic, political or whatever that incites a person to kill, loot, rape etc. is evil because it robs us of our humanity. But we were made in God's image!

[Historian]

My friend (Australian) married a Pakistani minister whom she met when he was studying in Australia. She went back to Pakistan with him. His whole family was Christian, and they had a thriving church. My friend had a ministry to all the women, but she could never leave her house. It wasn't safe unless she was completely covered and with her husband. So the women would come to her. Over time she was able to go out occasionally (as long as hubby was with her). She would go to the market with him and see some sites occasionally.

They managed that way until the US started sending the drones into Pakistan some years ago. In response, militants began blowing up places where she'd been seen. (They couldn't tell the difference between an Australian and American, obviously). They were blowing up people's homes, markets and stores. People were dying, so my friend and her husband had to leave. Moved back to Australia and are trying to work elsewhere in the world.