Modern-Day Martyrs

October 1999

Dear Friends,

A warm greeting to you all! I trust you and your loved ones are having a good fall now that school is back in session and the cooler temperatures have arrived. October, of course, is designated as Clergy Appreciation Month here at Focus, when we urge everyone to express gratitude and love to the church leaders who are entrusted with our spiritual care. They have a very difficult assignment and the work they do is vital to the Kingdom. I hope you’ll reach out to your pastor with a hug, an invitation to lunch, or a simple note of encouragement in the next couple of weeks.

There is another incredibly important event taking place next month, and that is the subject of this letter. November 14, 1999, marks this year’s observance of the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Many Christians here in America aren’t even aware of the plight of our brothers and sisters around the world. While believers in our part of the globe are often ridiculed and discriminated against, it would be inaccurate to compare our situation to that of Christians in other countries who face violence, imprisonment and death for the sake of their faith. Those who have studied this situation tell us that more Christians have been martyred in the 20th century than in the past 19 combined.1 It is time for those of us in the comfort and security of the West to begin praying in earnest for our brothers and sisters who are suffering horribly for what we all believe.

While persecution of Christians occurs in many countries around the world, nowhere is the situation more severe than in Africa’s largest country, the Republic of the Sudan. The Voice of the Martyrs, an organization that tracks the persecution of Christians, estimates that more than 2 million people in southern Sudan since 1985 have perished—many of them Christians—as a result of the genocide being carried out by the Islamic government.2 Men in the southern region of that country face the amputation of their hands and feet if they refuse to comply with the demands of raiding Islamic government forces from the north. Authorities often round up women and children in this area and sell them as slaves.3 11 Mark Hartwig, editor of Teachers in Focus magazine, and Tom Neven, editor of Focus on the Family magazine, traveled to Africa with World Relief in June of this year to document cases of persecution. In addition to journeying directly into the war zone in southern Sudan, they also spent time in Nairobi and Lokichoggio, in Kenya. A chronicle of their experiences can be found in this month’s Teachers in Focus and in the upcoming January issue of Focus on the Family magazine.

Mark and Tom heard firsthand about the incredible atrocities being committed against Christians in southern Sudan by the National Islamic Front (the army of northern Sudan). Peter Tibi, a southern Sudanese pastor who has himself been tortured by the government, described the injuries inflicted upon his father by the Northern Sudanese: He told us, “My parents were Christians in Sudan. My father was arrested by the Arabs at that time. They accused him of spying for the southerners. His eyes [were] gouged out ...”4

Other Christians from this region have related similarly chilling tales. Kamal Tutu, a Christian from the Nuba region of Sudan, was severely burned in a government attack on a southern Sudanese church. He described the event for a television documentary: “They caught the priest . . . and slaughtered him. [They also killed] . . . other priests. Many people were burned in the church. Then they tied me and left me in the sun. After they burned the church with the people inside, the military threw me into the embers of the church and left.” Tutu’s hands were horribly disfigured in the incident. “My wife has to do everything for me now because I can do nothing—not even eat on my own,” he says.5

Slaves are captured mostly in the Dinka regions of southern Sudan, as well as in the Nuba Mountains. Arab raiders take slaves as “war booty” to work in homes or fields in the north, often under brutal conditions. They also sell slaves to the highest bidder to raise money to further their war effort in the south.

In addition to these raids, the government of Sudan simply steals children from so-called “peace villages” set up to accommodate “internally displaced persons,” (i.e., glorified refugee camps). Islamic officers transport these children north and forcibly enroll them in “schools,” a process that has been called “slow-motion ethnic cleansing.”

The situation in Sudan is but the tip of the iceberg. Here’s a very brief rundown of some other areas of the world where Christians are being persecuted:

• In the Union of Myanmar (formerly called Burma), the government controls all religious activities through what is called the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). It continues to carry out attacks on the minority Karen and Karenni tribes, both of which have a large Christian population. The Karen and Karenni are systematically being expelled from their villages and forced into relocation camps. There have been reports of forced labor, random killings, torture, rape and expropriation of property associated with this process.6

• Two Christians in Pakistan were arrested earlier this year on charges of blasphemy. (In this case, their “blasphemy” involved a simple attempt to buy ice cream from a Muslim ice cream vendor.) Nevertheless, the vendor filed a report against the two, accusing them of making slanderous remarks about Islam and Mohammed. Under Pakistan’s Penal Code, they face mandatory execution if convicted.7

• In March 1998, the 13-year-old daughter of an Egyptian family who had recently converted to Christianity was kidnapped, raped and forced to convert to Islam by a terrorist group. The girl was later released, but on returning home, the terrorists attacked her family, killing them by slitting their bellies and crushing their heads with stones.8

• One of our greatest concerns today is for our brothers and sisters in China. The Communist government there continues to interrogate, torture and confine Christians in labor camps for holding religious meetings outside of state-approved churches. Two months ago, more than 30 Christian leaders were arrested in the continuing effort to suppress “unauthorized religious activity.” One of these men, Wang Xincai, had been released from a labor reform camp only four days prior to his arrest in August. He had served two and one-half years in detention along with other leaders in China’s “house church” movement.9 In addition, in September, officials in Beijing refused to allow permission to the Pope to visit Hong Kong (now under Chinese control) as part of his Asian tour.10

Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA), a member of the Executive Committee of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, confirmed for us that a number of Roman Catholic bishops, priests and laymen have been murdered or imprisoned recently in China. He tells us that there is only one way for the United States to influence the repressive and violent policies of the Chinese government, and that is to withhold “most favored nation” status from them. We should not allow the Chinese access to our lucrative markets until that nation addresses these serious human-rights concerns. Unfortunately, both Democrats and Republicans in Congress, and especially President Bill Clinton, have been unwilling to use the enormous power of trade to ease the suffering of Chinese Christians and others who are being denied the right to worship as they wish.11 And unfortunately, many Americans seem to care more about their own business pursuits in China than the rights of oppressed people.12

Beyond that, many political leaders simply refuse to admit that religious persecution is taking place on such an enormous scale.13 That is particularly difficult to understand considering the recent military campaign in Kosovo. That war was supposedly intended to stop the massacres occurring in that region of the world, but a U.S. senator told me recently that only a few hundred Muslims and ethnic Albanians had been killed by Slobodan Milosevic’s Serbian forces when our country and the United Nations decided to intervene. While these murders were tragic, and many more were to come, they don’t compare in sheer numbers to the killings, rapings, maimings and systematic enslavement that are occurring elsewhere. In regard to those nations, there has hardly been a peep of protest from our government.14 At the very least, these developments indicate that U.S. government policy is badly fragmented and unevenly applied.

Although the killing continues, there have been a few hopeful signs in Washington. The Senate passed the International Religious Freedom Act by a unanimous vote in October 1998, and an earlier version of the bill was endorsed by a margin of 375-41 by the House.15 An important part of the act was the creation of the International Religious Freedom Commission—a 10-member independent panel established to monitor persecution around the world and make policy recommendations to the President. Mr. Clinton signed the legislation on October 27, 1998, but he didn’t name his appointments to the commission until many months later and only after his administration’s best efforts to defeat it were thwarted.16

In February of this year, Rep. Wolf noted the President’s apparent disregard for the martyrdom of our brothers and sisters around the world. He wrote:

“In his State of the Union address, it took President Clinton 77 minutes to list a whole range of special initiatives for which he would be requesting funding this year. No mention [was made] of the [International Religious Freedom] Commission, despite the fact that it was supported by a large domestic constituency concerned about human rights and the plight of those suffering for their faith.... What was requested? The $1.3 million for the Marine Mammal Commission is one example. I support the Marine Mammal Commission, but aren’t men and women being persecuted for their faith just as important as marine mammals? What about Catholic bishops in jail in China [or the] starving Christians in southern Sudan. ... Aren’t they even worth a little mention?”17

Despite these impediments by our government, the International Religious Freedom Commission is now in place, with members of several different faiths represented. Dr. Robert Seiple, formerly of World Vision and now with the State Department, is heading the commission as ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom. Other members include Nina Shea, director of the Center for Religious Freedom at Freedom House, the Most Reverend Theodore McCarrick (Archbishop of Newark) and Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center.18 In fact, just as I was finishing this letter, the U.S. State Department’s first report on global persecution* was released (as mandated by the International Religious Freedom Act). The 1,000 page report includes information not only on the religious suppression in China and the killings in the Sudan, but details on how countries such as France, Belgium, and Austria have labeled evangelical organizations as religious sects or cults. In the words of Dr. Seiple*, the report “[has] swept absolutely nothing under the rug” and “aims to put religious freedom into the mainstream of U.S. foreign policy.”19

I commend Congressman Wolf and the other men and women who make religious freedom their highest priority. It is extremely important for Christians here in the United States to encourage our leaders to promote legislation condemning persecution. However, more than anything, the weary, battered and harassed families in these hostile environments need our prayers. Even though they are threatened with rape, torture, imprisonment and murder from all sides, they carry on with determination, bravely proclaiming the name of Jesus. These are our brothers and sisters in Christ, and we are commanded to defend them and to care for them spiritually! Hebrews 13:3 says, “Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering” (NIV). I’m also reminded of Proverbs 24:11-12a which reads: “Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward the slaughter. If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it?” (NIV)

The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church not only serves as a focal point for spiritual intercession on behalf of fellow believers, it also provides Christians with the opportunity to stay abreast of the latest international news about religious persecution. This is an issue about which we must pray daily. There are a number of resources designed to assist you in this vital calling.

The International Day of Prayer Fast Fax Newsletter provides monthly updates about instances of Christian persecution around the world. It is available via fax or e-mail by logging on to the I nternational Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church’s Web site (www. persecutedchurch.org). The site also offers a 30-minute video, titled Four Faces, which provides compelling images and testimonials that could be shared with others in a Sunday school or Bible-study setting (to order the video, call 1-800-LETS-PRAY).

I hope you’ll take the time to join with your church to pray for our brothers and sisters in chains on November 14. Our solidarity on this issue will help to send a signal to our political leaders that the persecution of Christians is a matter on which they must take action. You might also take a moment to let President Clinton know of this priority. More importantly, the prayers of the saints are like incense before the Lord (Revelation 5:8), and we know that He will hear our pleas. I’ll close with a few of Paul’s last recorded words, from his second letter to Timothy. May they bring you encouragement as you intercede for those who are suffering for Christ’s sake:

“For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing ... but the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (2 Timothy 4: 6-8,17-18, NIV).

God’s blessings to you all. We’d love to hear from you as the holiday season approaches.

Sincerely,

James C. Dobson, Ph.D.
President

P.S. At the beginning of this letter, I mentioned that October is Clergy Appreciation Month. Focus on the Family is offering a special guide to assist you in your efforts to honor your pastor. For more information call 1-800-A-FAMILY.

*(Note: Referrals to Web sites not produced by Focus on the Family are for informational purposes only and do not necessarily constitute an endorsement of the sites' content.)