More Christians are suffering for their faith than any other time in history. According to the ministry OpenDoors, 2019 saw “Over 245 million Christians living in places where they experience high levels of persecution.” They also count “4,305 Christians killed for their faith, 1,847 churches and other Christian buildings attacked, and 3,150 believers detained without trial, arrested, sentenced or imprisoned. Most people think of the Middle East when talking about Christians being persecuted but here are four other areas that have seen a dramatic rise in attacks on believers.
China: In China, what little freedom Chinese Christians have is steadily being taken away. Crosses and churches are being demolished, pastors are being imprisoned, house churches are being shut down and religious texts are being rewritten to fit communist rhetoric. In October, Christian Headlines reported that Communist officials in China tore down a 3,000-seat megachurch with members still inside.
Africa: Attacks against Christians also ran rampant across Africa in 2019 and intensified across the Sahel region, where armed Islamic groups have attacked civilian, military and police targets. There were more than 700 episodes of violence in the Sahel region alone, which led to over 2,000 deaths and the displacement of nearly 1 million people. The U.N. reports that as many 486,000 people fled from their homes in Burkina Faso due to the violence in 2019, a “six-fold increase since the start of the year.” 91 million Christians live in Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria, but many of them face consistent harassment and violence from Muslim extremists. On average 10 Nigerians die every day defending their faith.
India: Violent persecution against Indian Christians rapidly increased in 2019 with over 200 reports of incidents this year. The attacks are spread across the country and usually take the form of mob attacks, which can include interruptions to worship and prayer services, intimidation, verbal assault, and even death threats and violence. Often, when the police are called, instead of arresting the perpetrators, they bring in the pastors or priests under the false allegation of forced conversions. These are not isolated incidents and there has been an increase recorded this year—the average has risen from 20 to 27 per month since last year.
Sir Lankan: One of the deadliest attacks in 2019 occurred on Easter Sunday when nine suicide bombers killed over 250 people and injured 500 others when they bombed three churches and three luxury hotels in the Sri Lankan cities of Negombo, Batticaloa, and Colombo.
When we read about Christians being persecuted for their faith, it may seem—at first glance—that there’s nothing we can do. After all, in most cases, we live thousands of miles away and we often feel over-extended in just managing our own families and responsibilities. But the Bible provides us with many examples of how Christians can make a difference for persecuted believers. The most powerful way we can support Christians facing hardship, of course, is prayer. Please pray daily for your persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ across the world.