One of the effects of consuming mainstream media in the Western world is that one can have a completely warped view of Christianity and its place in the world. The anti Christian journalists who make up most Western newsrooms would have you believe that Christians are the most overbearing and predatory religious group. The exact opposite is true. Christians are by far the most persecuted religious group in the world.
In 143 countries in the world, Christians are recorded to be harassed by authorities. The official statistics will state 140 countries harass Muslims, but this stat is misleading as those 140 are primarily in Muslim countries by other Muslims. These stats don’t express the horrors of some of these persecutions, as brutal as anything in Ancient Rome, Christians are regularly being massacred, enslaved and suppressed, particularly now also in Islamic countries Burkina Faso and Sri Lanka, alongside Communist countries such as North Korea and China.
This Wednesday 25th November, we mark Red Wednesday, the annual day to mark our solidarity with those Christians and to raise awareness about the suffering. Organised by Aid to the Church in Need, it is the beginning of a week long campaign to draw attention to these various humanitarian crises. Some of the frightening stats shared on their website include:
95 countries where Christians face persecution for their faith every day.
245 million Christians facing extreme persecution for their faith.
80% of all religious persecution being against Christians.
We invite everyone to pray for those in need at this time, to follow the Week of Witness events online and to perhaps consider contributing to this effort.