Dear Brethren and Friends,
We are seeing greater worldwide persecution and hostility against individuals that call themselves Christians. The following are news headlines from the past several months:
“Gunmen Kill 27 in Predominantly Christian Villages in Mali,”
“10 Christians, Including a 3-Year-Old Girl, Killed by Extremists in Nigeria,”
“Militant Extremists Kill More Than 80 in Nigerian Village,”
“Gunmen Kill 58 in Attacks Aimed at Christians in Burkina Faso,”
“Christian Boy, 16, Stabbed and Stoned to Death for His Faith in Eastern India.”
These attacks are from extremists in predominantly Muslim-controlled regions. The hatred towards Christianity in these countries is nothing new, but this disdain is not just from Muslim radicals. Earlier this year, Open Doors, an international organization tracking Christian persecution, released their annual report, assessing 50 countries where Christians are at risk. 260 million Christians live in these territories, where they are subjected to high levels of violence because of their beliefs. Based on their practices, we can assume most of those tortured are only Christian in name, but groups that target Christians to persecute don’t care. The tide of persecution is rising, and we must do all that we can not to bring unnecessary persecution upon ourselves.
Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – June 21, 2020"