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Christianity Under Pressure: Remembering
the Faithful Minorities in Difficult Places Around the
World*
by Naji Abi-Hashem, PhD
Suffering church. Persecuted believers. Faith under fire.
Communion of the struggling saints. Witness under pressure.
The martyrs’ cries and tears. Fellowship of the
suffering. Persecution of the faith… These statements
are vivid descriptions of the costly price many of our
brothers and sisters pay on a weekly basis, even in societies
already labeled as moderate, open, and safe.
Although our modern times have resulted in better education,
technology, finances, comfort, social stability, human
development, and religious tolerance, many corners of
our globe are still witnessing intolerance, rigidity,
and a strong counter culture movement. Today there are
numerous spiritual, cultural, political, and ideological
revivals eventually leading to extremism, radicalism,
and fundamentalism.
In many Western churches, the month of November is usually
dedicated for the remembrance of the suffering church.
Public prayers and petitions are offered on its behalf,
and these concerns often result in developing small interest
groups and active involvement in supporting these believers
who have lost their voices and their faces and have been
forgotten in the deep cells of dark prisons, enduring
ruthless punishment.
Our century has been marked by so many wonderful accomplishments,
such as the development of a huge body of knowledge and
the advancement of sophisticated technology. Yet the gap
between “those who have” and “those
who have not” is growing wider and deeper every
year. Although cultures are mixing more than ever through
communication, travel, and migration, many observers believe
that our understanding and appreciation of each other
are still limited (or generically biased).
Some local groups in poor countries are responding to
globalization and modernization with caution, resentment,
and even rebellion. In addition, some of these radical
groups rely on extreme interpretations of their faith
to give themselves permission to persecute other unwanted
faiths and subcultures dwelling among them. Some justify
their militant approach on the basis of preserving their
own theological and cultural purity. They strongly hold
that their religious heritage and cultural status are
superior to other ones and should remain exclusive. At
times, governments practice harassment and intimidation,
and they repeatedly apply significant pressure on minority
groups, openly or secretly, without public explanation
or private consideration of their feelings, needs, beliefs,
or rights. Unfortunately, there are plenty of government-sponsored
persecutions happening today in many places, not only
in closed or restricted countries but also in what are
known to be moderately open and hospitable countries as
well.
A priest of the Anglican Church of Uganda, John Ssebalugga
Kalimi (2003), wrote,
I believe that there are different ways of witnessing
for Christ, and death is one of them… Martyrdom
is a calling, not something of our own choosing…
[nor do] we lead ourselves into by being stubborn; it
is a product of a conflict of interest between two different
powers, one of which demands that you renounce your
faith and live, or proclaim it and die. Some people,
especially present day martyrs, have emerged from circumstances
where they had no choice but just got killed for being
Christians. (p. 18)
Today, some Christian minorities are trying to maintain
their sanity in the midst of war. In Iraq, for example,
there are approximately 600,000 Christians. They are the
Chaldean church of Babylon, the ancient church of the
East (Assyrian known as the Nestorians), the Syrian-Catholics,
the Orthodox and Coptic churches, and the Protestant-Evangelical
churches.
In Israel-Palestine, the number of Christians in some
areas has been rapidly declining. There are reports that
the Christian population of some towns, like Nazareth
and Bethlehem, has decreased from 25% to 2% in recent
years. Socio-religious pressures, political deterioration,
poor living conditions, and military violence are forcing
these Christian minorities to migrate. But many cannot
afford to leave, so they remain, wait, and silently endure.
In the West, we may not be threatened by severe persecution,
but revisiting the issues of martyrdom forces us to
examine the depth of our faith and assess how much we
are willing to surrender for the sake of Christ. We
are called upon to remember those other Christians in
other parts of the world who suffer for their faith.
We are required to pray for them. We are called upon
to speak out openly in defense of the voiceless….
Our prayer to God is that they may be faithful even
unto death and receive the crown of eternal life. (Kalimi,
2003, p. 18)
References
Kalimi, J.S. (2003, October). The African
cross-bearers. Touchstone, 17-18.
Resources
Open Doors Ministries www.od.org
Christian Monitor www.christianmonitor.org
The Voice of the Martyrs www.persecution.com
*This article was originally published
November, 2003, in the CAPS West Newsletter, 30
(4).
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