November-December 1997
In the Lion's Den
"If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." 1 Cor. 12:26-27
After reading his appeal, I immediately organized a letter-writing and prayer campaign on his behalf in the United States. Within weeks, thousands of letters had arrived at his camp, and waves of prayer went up to heaven on his behalf. Soon, his case came to the attention of then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. She interceded with Gorbachev on Ogorodnikov's behalf, and the prisoner was released.
Now running a soup kitchen for Moscow's homeless, Ogorodnikov told me, "You don't know what it was like to discover that there were Christians who cared, who wanted me to live and who loved me."
Now that freedom has come to the former Soviet Union, Ogorodnikov and thousands of other Christian prisoners are free to share their faith openly with others.
That is not the case in many other countries, such as Sudan. In six years, more than 1.3 million Chris-tian and other non-Muslim people have been killed in this African nation-more than those who perished in Bosnia, Chechnya and Haiti combined.
"Sudan is characterized by the total or near complete absence of civil liberties," said Christian activist Nina Shea during U.S. Congressional Human Rights Caucus hearings. "Individual Christians, including clergy, have over the past few years been assassinated, imprisoned, tortured and flogged for their faith."
Patrick Johnstone, who edits Operation World and monitors persecution around the world, said, "I have also heard accounts of crucifixions in the Nuba mountains. It is also notable that there have been over one million estimated dead as a result of the repressive activities of the northern government [in Sudan]."
That pattern is being repeated in country after country around the world, often in areas where Islam is strong. Christians in North America can easily forget the daily danger in which their sisters and brothers overseas live. We don't realize that our peaceful existence here isn't the standard experience of Christians around the world.
Persecution in Islamic Nations
Much of the persecution today is happening in predominately Islamic nations. In Indonesia, on June 9, 1996, as Christians gathered for worship, Muslim mobs attacked and destroyed 10 Protestant churches in the southern city of Surabaya.
According to a report by Open Doors Philippines, more than 5,000 Muslims took part in the riots, led mostly by Madurese radicals. Indonesia has the world's largest Islamic population, with 83 percent of its 200 million people claiming to be Muslims. The Madurese are a large, Indonesian ethnic group, most of whom have not heard the gospel.
This and the riots in Tasikmalaya in West Java several weeks later only add to the frustration of many in Indonesia at the huge wealth acquired by the rulers and the Chinese (and many of the Chinese are Christians) and also the stifling of dissent.
"Several insiders," says Johnstone, "have been at pains to stress that we must not publicize this as just persecution of Christians! There are other elements that are political and ethnic, and in the case of the Surabaya, a Christian judge gave a perceived lenient sentence against a Muslim 'heretic.'"
He added, "I am not condoning or minimizing what has happened, but want to show that we can overplay the Muslims persecuting Christians."
In Pakistan, Christian evangelization is outlawed by a blasphemy law that prohibits speaking against the prophet Muhammad. Violations are punishable by death. A 14-year-old boy was sentenced to death in 1995 for sharing his faith. He was freed only by international pressure.
In Iran, three prominent evangelical pastors were abducted and assassinated in 1995.
Persecution in Cuba
But it is not only in the Muslim world that persecution takes place. Cuba, for instance, is still leading the way in our hemisphere. But some have turned oppression to God's advantage.
Cuban preacher Orson Vila was imprisoned on May 23, 1995, and released on parole on March 2, 1996. While he was in prison, other prisoners asked this house-church leader if his conviction was a punishment from God. His answer was that God loved them and that "God has sent me here to tell you about Jesus." So Vila began a church among them.
Following his release, Vila preached in a small Pentecostal church in Camagüey attended by 400 people. Yet persecution in Cuba continues unabated, with churches being closed and pastors harassed.
"The authorities have tightened the noose around leaders and pastors," said one Cuban pastor. "As the government continues to shut down house churches, everything seems to indicate that the authorities will have serious conflicts with the church in the future."
China's Struggling Christians
China is another land where Christians, particularly those in the underground church, are constantly under attack. China continues its aggressive campaign against Christians who are not registered in the official state church. According to Compass Direct News Service, the campaign stems largely from government fear that the huge number of Christians in China could be swiftly galvanized into a vast antigovernment movement.
Although estimates of the number of China's Christians begin as low as 10 million, those with access to China's unregistered house churches place the total at 50 million. Some have estimated the number to be as high as 90 million.
Despite government trouble, Chinese Christians still seize on every opportunity to preach the gospel. One woman, Wen Rou, even used her coffin as a pulpit. Wen became a Christian in the middle of a serious illness. She was bedridden. Her family had ordered a coffin for her.
"Most of the villagers thought that she had already died when they saw the coffin being carried into the house," said an Open Doors spokes-person. "However, some Christians in the area also heard about her illness, and came to speak and pray with her. Wen gave her almost destroyed life to Christ and was slowly but surely healed."
The persecution of Christians did not end with the collapse of the Roman Empire or even the Soviet Union. It's still alive around the world. Like Alexander Ogorodnikov, our persecuted brothers and sisters need to know the world holds other Christians who care and love them.
Dan Wooding is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times).
The Suffering ChurchThe Open Doors World Watch List regularly evaluates persecution of Christians around the world. A questionnaire of 31 questions is used to assign each country a point value for determining the worst situations for freedom of religion. The countries at the top of the July 1997 list (along with their point values and the total number of Christians in the country) are:
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Help for Persecuted ChristiansIf you would like more information on how you can help persecuted Christians, the following organizations specializing in helping persecuted believers can assist you:
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A Deafening SilenceWhile Christians in many parts of the world increasingly face harassment, arrest, interrogation, imprisonment, or even death because of their religious beliefs, their co-religionists in the West have been strangely silent. A few Christian organizations have labored on religious liberty issues, trying to raise public awareness and advocate particular cases, but the majority of churches and Christian groups have stayed far from the fray. There are numerous reasons for the lack of American Christian involvement in the issue. Many Western Christians are simply unaware of the extent to which their fellow believers continue to suffer today. "When the Iron Curtain fell, people thought, 'Oh good, the Christians are free now.' But persecution is still very real," says Christopher Catherwood, visiting scholar at Cambridge University's Center of International Studies. Paul Marshall, author of Their Blood Cries Out, believes many modern American Christians are too preoccupied with their own quest for inner peace to be concerned about persecution. "Many evangelicals in particular seem to be so obsessed with their own well-being that they cannot get their noses out of their own navels to pay attention to the plight of their brothers and sisters around the world," says Marshall. Other Christians believe that it is the fate of Christians to be persecuted, using this as an excuse to do nothing. Ravi Zacharias strongly disagrees and argues that Christians are biblically mandated to intervene. "Reaching out with love is part of the Gospel's imperative," he writes. "The Bible says that the poor will always be with us, but at the same time it urges Christians to give food to the hungry and clothes to the naked," points out Diane Knippers, president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy.
Excerpted from Nina Shea, In the Lion's Den (Broadman & Holman, 1997). Used by permission. |
To Know Him and His WordI was in Shanghai, China, promoting the work of The Bible League when I saw her. She was in her mid-sixties, and she was seated next to me. The first thing I noticed was her hands. They were badly deformed. Though I tried not to stare, it was impossible to ignore that her fingers seemed frozen in a gnarled grip. Yet she held the bulletin, turning pages with stiff fingers as freely as anyone else. Another thing struck me that morning. Among the two thousand worshipers, I didn't see more than ten Bibles. For most of these Chinese believers, including the woman next to me, the only Scriptures they now had were the few verses listed in the bulletin. When the pastor read them out loud, everyone drew quiet in rapt attention. Having been a missionary in Taiwan for a number of years, I spoke enough of the language to confirm a hunch I had about this woman. After the service we were walking out the door when I asked her, "Pardon me, but do you have a Bible?" She looked startled when I spoke to her. She was even more surprised that I had asked her about the Word. "No, I do not have a Bible," she said politely. "I have two Chinese Bibles in my hotel room," I replied. "I'm leaving Shanghai very early tomorrow morning. Would you like to come with me a few blocks to the hotel so you and a friend could each have your own copy?" If that were the end of the story, I still would have never forgotten this woman because she looked so delighted. During the next several minutes as we walked to the hotel, I found out why she was deformed. Culturally, it would have been rude for me to ignore her hands. The polite thing was to acknowledge her condition yet not be offensive. I was careful how I phrased the question. "Were you born with your hands the way they are today?" I asked. "No," she replied. "I was born with normal hands. During the 1960s, as part of his Cultural Revolution, Mao Zedong gave his brutal police force, the Red Guards, complete legal authority to force their way into people's homes and take away all their possessions. "One day at the height of the Revolution, the Red Guards came to my door and forced their way inside. For being a Christian, I was called a 'revisionist,' the dirtiest word in the entire Communist vocabulary. "The Red Guards began ransacking my tiny, two-room home. They turned over plants and stirred through chest of drawers. They tore up everything in sight -- books, photos, and other precious keepsakes. They were really looking for Scriptures and hymn books. "They had ripped up the homes of so many believers that, by the time they reached me, they knew all the hiding places. The soldiers found my Bible beneath the ashes of my little cookstove. One guard held it in his hands, and as he turned in front of me to leave, I grabbed my Bible from him. He could have shoved me, knocked me down, or even killed me right then. The Red Guards could have easily pulled my hands apart and taken the Bible, but that wasn't their way. "Instead, they laughed at me. They mocked and ridiculed me for being a Christian and owning a Bible. One would insult me, then another would spit on me. It went on like that for several minutes. 'Give up that book full of myths,' they said. 'Give up!' "I looked at them and said, 'No, I cannot give up the Book, because in it is all I know of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.' "That made them very angry. They stopped laughing, grabbed my arms, and led me outside. All I had to my name was the thin dress I wore and the Bible I still clutched in my hands. The Red Guards took me to a large and open area in the city. Under a cloudless sky and scorching sun they announced to the public what they were going to do. "People flocked to the plaza where the Red Guards had pushed me up on a small pedestal two feet off the ground. The people swarmed around me. I knew the area well enough to know there had to be fifteen thousand people. "In the open air, in full view of the crowd, the four Red Guards stripped me naked. All I had now was the Bible. I held it over my breasts and bowed my head. The soldiers thought I was ashamed. They didn't know I was praying to my Lord. "The crowd took their cue from the Red Guards. For three hours, soldiers and citizens laughed at me and spit on me. Forward and back they surged like the tide, as the sun continued to beat down. When I thought I couldn't stand it any longer, the Red Guards stepped in. 'Give up that book full of myths!' "I spoke as loud as I could. 'No, I cannot give up the Book, because in it is all that I know of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.' The soldiers became angrier than before. They pushed me down from the pedestal, then laid me on my stomach in the street. To hold on to the Bible, I stretched my arms in front. "Then, one of the guards put his foot on the back of my head, and the other three began to beat my hands with lead pipes. I never felt such pain. They hit me again and again until my hands were so weak I had no feeling. I could no longer hold on to the Bible. It slipped from my hands and fell in the dirt, as the crowd cheered. "That was the last time I held a copy of God's Word." It took me less than five minutes, a short, round-trip elevator ride up to my room and back, to gather the two Chinese Bibles I had. I brought them to the woman, and, when no one was looking, I put them in her clawed hands. She looked at me in silence, unable to speak as tears rolled down her cheeks. Then, she turned and walked down the sidewalk, back into the noontime sea of people. -- Dennis Mulder |
Sharing the Good NewsDennis Mulder has seen firsthand around the world the great hunger for the Word. The above account comes from his book, The Living Power of God's Word, published by The Bible League, an international, interdenominational ministry founded by William Chapman in 1938. Chapman believed he had a calling to make the Bible available to all who desired to read it. He and his wife began a Bible placement program going door-to-door in the Chicago suburbs seeking Bibleless homes. After eliciting a promise that the book would be read, they prayerfully offered the Word of God. At first, Chapman used his own funds to purchase Bibles, but soon others began to send in offerings to assist him. Today, The Bible League places Bibles into the hands of people as far away as China, Colombia, Africa, Russia and the Philippines, about 90 countries in all. The Bible League also offers national lay leaders evangelistic training. This allows local Christians, who know their culture and language best, to evangelize and disciple their new converts. Every month, hundreds of letters pour into TBL headquarters in South Holland, Illinois, forwarded from associates around the world. Some testify of changed lives. Others tell of persecution and martyrdom from those hostile to Christianity and a risen Savior. Still others are pleading for Bibles or scripture portions, so they may share the Good News with their countrymen. Although TBL has resources to provide for only one of every three requests, almost 19 million Scriptures were placed last year and more than 3,500 churches were planted. Together, you and your church can help Christians like the woman in Shanghai get their hands on the only book that can bring them to their Savior Jesus Christ. Let us help others know him, too. -- Jeffrey Kolsch For further information, contact: The Bible League, 16801 Van Dam Rd., South Holland, IL 60473. |
Joined in PrayerAs the persecution of Christians continues around the world, Protestants and Catholics in America are being called to participate in a season of prayer for both the persecuted and the persecutors, beginning Sept. 28 and culminating with more than 50,000 churches praying on Nov. 16, 1997, the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. The 52-day event, sponsored by World Evangelical Fellowship (WEF), will be a time of focused education of the American public to the persecution of some 200 million Christians around the world. "Those of us who have been in the fight against persecution are excited at the potential of this effort to coalesce many different churches and organizations with the common goal to become aware, pray and act," notes Tom White, president of Voice of the Martyrs. "History warns us that Catholic and Protestant communities in the Third World are acutely vulnerable and profoundly worthy of our actions and prayers," says Jewish lawyer Michael Horowitz, a member of the Hudson Institute who has been a leading advocate for an end to persecution of people of all faiths. If you would like to be involved in the Nov. 16 International Day of Prayer, call the WEF U.S. office at (630) 668-1754, or write to IDOP, P.O. Box WEF, Wheaton, IL 60189-8003. Visit the WEF Website at www.persecutedchurch.org. |