Christian Persecution

I'm a news junkie.  On my blog I don't get too political but you can probably guess I'm a conservative.  Lately I've noticed that there is a lot of news that get no play time at all.  In fact if I didn't subscribe to various groups I would have never heard about this!

In the world today Christians are being targeted for persecution imprisonment and death.  One such area is Chengdu China.  Chengdu is where Shad is from and I spent a week in that city in 2006.  Before I went to China I bought dozen of small bibles to give out.  To be honest I did that against the advice of the adoption agency we used.  But there was no way I was going to be in China without giving out bibles.  While in Chengdu I gave people bibles when I was alone with them in private.  One housekeeper began weeping when I handed her a bible.  That was so precious to me.  In another city I actually met with a man to give him bibles for his group of Christians.  It was a very cloak and dagger type of situation.  I had literally been given a code word to use and a certain scenario to act out.  To be honest I was afraid but I knew I could not-not help out.  Technically bibles were allowed but there was an incredible process to go through to get one and once a person received one then they were added to a list. 

Now the crackdown has started in Chengdu and it grieves my heart.   I'm by no means a China expert but I understand from what I read how every part of life in China is connected.   Many of the Christians are being arrested but it doesn't just stop with a family member being arrested.  Many are now being kicked out of their homes, their children taken from them, fired from their jobs.... It's so sad.  I get my news from China Aid  on facebook and at China Aid   I also get information on worldwide persecution from  the Voice of the Martyrs.

There has recently been many attacks on Christians in Nigeria read here  or here more   Over 200 killed in the past month.  Little or none of this gets reported on regular news.

According to Open Doors every month

• 255 Christians are killed
• 104 are abducted
• 180 Christian women are raped, sexually harassed or forced into marriage
• 66 churches are attacked
• 160 Christians are detained without trial and imprisoned

Personally we know people who live in different countries where Christianity or Evangelical Christianity is discouraged.  Some dear friends of ours were forced to leave their area upon the threat of death for preaching the gospel.  I wanted to have them come to the USA because of that but they stopped me from working on their behalf to get them asylum because they felt God wanted them to stay in their home country and preach the gospel.  They now have a thriving church in another area of their country! 

What can we do?  The bible says to pray for the persecuted.  We can stay inform and inform others.  We can contact our government officials to ask them to put pressure on countries doing this.  When I am tempted to complain about something in my life I think of others who are going through so much more and that reminds me to be grateful and to pray for others.