Having Our Brother’s Back
By Tom Gilbreath
The Gatestone Institute headline was stunning — almost overwhelming — too big to take in all at once. “380,000,000 Christians Persecuted for ‘Their Faith’: Where Is the Outrage?”
The May 11th article by Raymond Ibrahim said, “The global persecution of Christians has reached unprecedented levels.” Mr. Ibrahim cited the latest numbers from the respected Christian human rights organization, Open Doors. That was the source of the staggering number in the headline. Think about it again. Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List says, “More than 380 million Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith.”
Notice the two words at the beginning of that sentence — “more than.” How can they attach “more than” to such a staggering number? It’s because the darkest places of Christian persecution are also the most apt to hide their evil. In Pakistan last year, attacks against Christians physically injured 10,000 of them — that we know of. Pakistan doesn’t carefully monitor what happens to Christians there. They don’t send out press releases on the mistreatment of Christians and other non-Muslims. A child harmed by other children may not even tell his or her parents about the offense. The 10,000 number is not only too low — it’s too low by a lot.
Globally, 1 in 7 Christians faces significant persecution for their faith. In Africa, that number grows to 1 in 5. And in Asia, it rises to two in five. That means that at least forty percent of all Christians in Asia suffer for their faith. Nations at the top of this year’s World Watch List include Somalia, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Eritrea, Nigeria, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, India, Saudi Arabia, and Myanmar. You’ll notice countries on that list that are considered allies and partners of the United States.
As it has for more than two decades, North Korea again tops the list. Open Doors writes, “If your Christian faith is discovered in North Korea, you could be killed on the spot. If you aren't killed, you will be deported to a labor camp and treated as a political criminal. You will be punished with years of hard labor that few survive. And it's not only you who will be punished: North Korean authorities are likely to round up your extended family and punish them too, even if your family members aren't Christians.”
In the United States, an increasing number of Christians feel no need to gather for worship with other believers. But in the countries at the top of the list, people regularly risk their lives for that privilege. In western nations, Christians casually carry several Bible versions (and have easy access to dozens more) on the phones in our pockets. But some nations call Bibles contraband, and people who possess them risk imprisonment, torture, or death. Why would they expose themselves to such peril? Because they see the Bible for what it is — the very Word of God, more precious than any worldly riches. To own it, carry it, and especially to read and study it, is a privilege for which we are accountable to God.
The cares of this world press in on us all. But in our busy lives, it’s important to follow the biblical admonition to prayerfully remember the precious women, men, boys, and girls who daily suffer for His name. Hebrews 13:3 (NIV) says, “Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”
