The persecution of Christians that characterized the French Revolution continues to this day.
"In countries near and far, people are being persecuted because of their faith," reports Melissa McClard in a recent issue of Washington Watch, published by the Family Research Council. "Christians in particular," she notes, "are beaten, tortured, imprisoned, and murdered by those who are hostile to their faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, more Christians have died for their faith in this century than in the previous nineteen centuries combined. Currently, over 200 million Christians are living under the threat of persecution."
McClard counts "over 35 countries which have mounted campaigns against Christians. Topping the list are China and Sudan, but close behind we find Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Burma, Ethiopia, Vietnam, and many others. China is not only the world's largest country," she observes; "it is also the world's number-one oppressor of Christians. There are more people imprisoned for religious activity in China than in any other nation in the world."
McClard describes the treatment endured by the faithful at the hands of our favored trading partners. "Faced with over 70 million Christians in China , the Chinese communist government has called for the eradication of the independent Christian movement. Roman Catholic priests and bishops have been arrested for simply celebrating Mass. Protestant believers are arrested for holding prayer meetings, preaching, and distributing Bibles without government permission. Chinese Christian women have been hung by their thumbs with wires and beaten with heavy rods, denied food and water, and shocked with electric probes."
The treatment of Christians in Sudan is no better. "In raids conducted by the Sudanese government, Christians are being crucified, kidnapped, and often sold into slavery," says McClard. "Some children are sent into re-education camps and forced to participate in the war against Christians. . . .
"The horrors of persecution extend into Iran," says McClard, "where Protestant pastors and bishops have been murdered for their faith. In Saudi Arabia, Christians undergo severe beatings and imprisonment for professing their faith. Vietnam keeps all Christians under tight surveillance, subjecting them to fines, Bible confiscation, and sometimes death. Despite these atrocities," says McClard, "Christianity is on the rise in these countries and persecuted believers are standing firm."
It's not a pleasant thought, but we all know that there exists in America today an anti-religious element whose antipathy for our fervor rivals that of foreign tyrants. We can be thankful that the militant atheists and antitheists among us have not yet clutched the power they crave to harness their hostility and direct it against us. But they bide their time, inching ever forward. And we, if we shirk our responsibility to export religious freedom to all the suffering saints across God's globe, do we not embolden the foes of our faith at home and thus invite the extension of persecution to our own land? Melissa McClard challenges each one of us to show solidarity for our persecuted brethren, and we would be well-advised to accept her challenge.
