The Persecuted Church

The Christian Church has been persecuted since the beginning of time. It's throughout the entire Bible and throughout history. However, in recent years Christian persecution has been on the rise and in more extreme ways. Christians now get thrown into prison, tortured, kidnapped, and even killed simply for believing in Jesus Christ. According to theguardian.com, 200 million Christians in over 60 countries have reported being persecuted in some way, that's about 1 in 10 Christian people. In some countries Christiananity is only 1% of the population, the rest is Hinduism, Buddhaism, Sikhs etc. Persecution of the church happens all over the world, most commonly noted is the Middle East and Africa. Though also in China, Malaysia, North Korea, Vietnam, Cuba, Mexico, and that's just to name a few. According to John Pontifex of ACN, the number of Christians has taken a dramatic decrease. Isis, along with other extremist, have persecuted numerous people. In the past year we've seen multiple attacks on people, churches, and events. Though most occurring in the Middle East, they've also occurred in Africa, America, France, and other. Persecution does not occur to just Christians, though they do get the most, with 102 countries having some sort of harassment. The Open Doors Foundation estimates that 4,344 Christians were killed and 1,062 churches were destroyed in November 2013 up to November 2014. That number has only risen.

North Korea has stated that over 700,000 men and women are being held in gulgags. Some banished, tortured, killed, raped, etc. Persecution is rising and the methods are becoming more and more sinister. Organisations around the world have tried to help these people, such as: Open Doors, Voice of the Martyrs, and many others. According to Open Doors, 75% of the worlds population face

religious restrictions. It says in Jeremiah 20:11, "but the LORD is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten."

Recently, there was an attack on Kenya that targeted Christians. A group of Extremists, called Al-Shabaab, dressed as Kenyan Military and entered Mandera residential. They first attacked a mobile  money transfer shop and thre explosives into. The non native people were immediately shot as they tried to run free, the extremists assumed that they were Christians. 6 died from this accident and several injured due to the explosives.  An article was published on October 8 explaining the details, the article is on Open Doors website. These attacks aren't on the other side of the world either these attacks happen in America too. San Bernardino, Florida bar, and more. They might not have been directed to Christians but they're still part of these extremists groups. A few years ago a teenage girl in Texas was shot in the head for her faith. The persecuted church is a serious problem and people need to keep awareness of it. These people should not have to suffer in silence and/or stand alone. America was founded and built upon Cristian principles and beliefs. We fought in Vietnam to stop the spread of Communism, why can't we fight for the persecuted church? These people, our brothers and sisters in Christ, are in need of help. It's up to us to change it.