Counting the Cost, Day 8

Burkina Faso

Overview
Burkina Faso has seen a sharp rise in Islamist activity since militants linked to ISIS and al-Qaida, who had been largely contained in neighboring Mali and Niger, have crossed porous borders in the north to broaden their influence in the Sahel region, the semi-arid region of Africa that separates the Sahara Desert to the north and tropical savannas to the south. Christians have been a primary target of the Islamists’ campaign since April 2019, when approximately 70 Christians were killed and five churches were attacked. More than 200 churches have reportedly closed in northern and eastern Burkina Faso due to security issues and the threat of attack. As many as 10,000 Christians have fled their homes as a result of violence and threats against Christians. Nearly 800,000 people in total have been displaced by the conflict, adding to an already strained economy amid political uncertainty.

Major Religions
Just over half of Burkinabe are Muslims.

Persecutor
The main persecutors are Islamists linked to the al-Qaida and ISIS terrorist groups.

What it Means to Follow Christ
Large churches operate openly in the capital, and until recently even Christians living among Muslims in some villages had the freedom to practice their faith. However, attacks against Christians increased dramatically in 2019, and today, few Christians remain in the northern and eastern parts of the country.

Access to Bibles
Bibles in French and the Moore language are readily available in the capital, but few Bibles are available in local languages. Distribution is difficult because of security issues in the countryside. The literacy rate is less than 35 percent nationwide, and most people would prefer a Bible in a local language such as Fulani.

VOM Work
VOM is supporting the families of pastors martyred by terrorist groups linked to al-Qaida and ISIS. VOM is also providing aid to numerous displaced Christians who have fled recurring attacks in the northern part of the country.

Counting the Cost, Day 7

Brunei

Overview
Brunei is a Muslim-majority nation under the rule of a dynastic sultan and Islamic law. There are about 20 registered churches in Brunei and few opportunities for Bruneians to hear the gospel. While oil wealth has ensured that few people lack in material needs, spiritual needs are great. Despite the risks, a few bold evangelists and missionaries continue to bring the light of the gospel to this dark land.

Major Religions
Almost 80 percent of Bruneians are Sunni Muslims, and nearly all of the 9 percent who are Christians are ethnically Chinese.

Persecutor
The government is the main persecutor of Christians.

What it Means to Follow Christ
While some historic churches exist in Brunei, no new church buildings are allowed. In 2015, all Christmas displays were banned. Churches are often afraid to reach out to Muslims because they are monitored closely by the religious police. Even inviting a Muslim to a Christmas celebration would be problematic. The penalty for evangelizing Muslims is a $15,000 fine, up to five years in prison or both. Nevertheless, several secret believers have been baptized.

Access to Bibles
Bibles in Malay, the country’s official language, are illegal and are confiscated if discovered. No bookstores in Brunei sell Bibles.

VOM Work
VOM supports the work of evangelists throughout the country.

Counting the Cost, Day 6

Bhutan

Overview
Until the 1980s, Bhutan was isolated from the rest of the world by its Himalayan geography, poor infrastructure and poor international relations. In 2008, the country adopted a multiparty constitutional democracy and implemented a new constitution that affords a greater level of religious freedom. Most Christians in Bhutan are of Nepali heritage, and believers are focused on reaching the ethnic Bhutanese with the message of Christ.

Major Religions
88 percent of the Bhutanese people are Buddhists. Approximately 1 percent are Christians.

Persecutor
Christians are restricted by federal laws and persecuted by local authorities.

What it Means to Follow Christ
The king identifies himself as the defender of the Buddhist faith, and the government works covertly to discourage the spread of Christianity. Christians are viewed as followers of a foreign, Western religion. There is no opportunity for the legal registration of churches in Bhutan. Christians often lose their jobs and are unable to find jobs because of their faith. Many Christians must worship in secret.

Access to Bibles
Though small numbers of Bibles are allowed into the nation legally, the government continues to restrict widespread distribution. Most Bibles must be smuggled into the country from neighboring nations.

VOM Work

VOM provides Bibles and discipleship resources. We are also supporting the training and discipleship of future local church leaders.

Counting the Cost, Day 5

Bangladesh

Overview
Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world. Churches are careful when offering relief to the poor and needy because they do not want to encourage false conversions among people claiming faith in Christ solely for economic benefit. While Bangladesh is a majority-Muslim nation, the government avoids undue influence from Islamists and actively fights extremism. Millions of Bangladeshis are learning about Christ and the Bible through media outreaches.

Major Religions
87 percent of Bangladeshis are Sunni Muslims. Approximately one-half of 1 percent are Christians.

Persecutor
Local Muslim authorities, Islamist extremist groups, families, and communities persecute Christians.

What it Means to Follow Christ
Many Christian groups meet publicly, while others worship in unregistered churches. When Muslims convert to Christianity, they are often forced to leave their community.

Access to Bibles
The Bangladesh Bible Society and the missions community have made Bibles available in several languages, but those in rural areas and especially Muslim converts have difficulty finding and acquiring them.

VOM Work

VOM relocates those expelled from their communities and provides for the medical needs of those injured in persecution attacks.

We support Bible distributions and evangelism training, and we provide rural pastors, bold evangelists and church planters with tools and resources for their ministry.

Counting the Cost, Day 4

Bahrain

Overview
This small island nation is located in one of the world’s chief oil-producing regions, but it has relatively small petroleum resources. Therefore, its economy has long relied on processing crude oil from neighboring countries. Bahrain has experienced significant religious, political and economic tension, resulting mainly from the Sunni-Shiite division among its Muslim populace and its involvement in the global economy. This unrest, coupled with the faithful witness of indigenous Arab and immigrant Christian workers, has led to a season of openness and some response to the gospel among those indigenous to Bahrain.

Major Religions
Less than 1 percent are However, Christians among Bahrain’s expatriate workers make up 8 percent of the population, including 3 percent evangelicals.

Persecutor
Families and local communities are the main persecutors, but the government occasionally imprisons or harasses a new Christian.

What it Means to Follow Christ
Christian converts from Islam often lose their jobs and social status, and many are rejected by their families. However, some still gather to worship in secret.

Access to Bibles
Bahrainis have access to the Bible through the internet, bookstores and churches.

VOM Work
VOM supports evangelists who work throughout the Arabian Peninsula. We distribute Bibles and other Christian literature, and we support the activities of media ministries that engage with seekers and underground believers.

Counting the Cost, Day 3

Azerbaijan

Overview
As a former Soviet republic on the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan’s churches developed in the wake of the Soviet Union’s dissolution. Although Azerbaijan is rich in oil and gas reserves, corruption and the country’s authoritarian government have impeded economic growth. Nevertheless, poverty has been reduced and the country’s infrastructure is gradually improving.

Major Religions
85 percent of Azerbaijanis are Shiite Muslims, and 2 percent are Christians.

Persecutor
Families are the main persecutors of Azerbaijan has a shame-honor culture in which those who leave Islam are considered to have brought shame on the family. The government also pressures Christians with heavy fines.

What it Means to Follow Christ
For many years now, churches have been denied the ability to register legally. Secret police attend and sometimes raid church meetings, which the government classifies as illegal. In 2015, the government published a list of banned religious books that included the Old Testament. Those caught with banned religious literature are fined. The government is tightening restrictions and often asks church leaders to submit lists of members’ names. Some pastors and leaders feel this is an attempt to gather information for later use against church members or pastors. Many Christians faithfully share Christ with neighbors and family members despite legal pressure and possible fines.

Access to Bibles
Bibles are difficult to obtain. Churches can purchase them, but they cannot be printed legally.

VOM Work
VOM brings Bibles, including children’s Bibles, into the country and provides legal assistance to persecuted pastors and churches.

Counting the Cost, day 2

Algeria

Overview
Before the founding of Islam in the seventh century and the subsequent invasion by Arab Muslims, Algeria was inhabited by the Berber people. Today, they live mainly in Algeria’s mountainous Kabylie area in the north, while Arabs inhabit the rest of the country. The Christian faith has a long history in North Africa, especially among ethnic Berbers. The early church father Augustine of Hippo is thought to have been a Berber from Algeria. After centuries of oppressive Muslim occupation, public Christian worship and witness have largely disappeared, but many Berbers are now rediscovering their Christian heritage. Churches have seen rapid growth, and Algeria has experienced one of the world’s largest movements of Muslims coming to faith in Christ. Algerian Christians are reaching out boldly to their Muslim countrymen, causing increased persecution in an uncertain political climate.

Major Religions
97 percent of Algerians are Sunni Muslims.

Persecutor
Christian converts from Islam are persecuted by the government and their own family members. They also face a variety of hardships from the local community.

What it Means to Follow Christ

Algeria is a shining example of church growth in North Africa and is also a leader for theological training and church development in the region. Nearly all of the church growth has occurred within the Berber community. Although churches are allowed to meet openly, in 2018 the government temporarily closed many church buildings and harassed congregations. Berber Christians, who are watched carefully, have gained a collective voice through an evangelical association of churches. Sharing the gospel with Arabs can cause serious problems, but Berber Christians continue to share the gospel boldly in and around al-Qaida terrorist camps. Secret communities of Arab Christians exist throughout the country. While it is not common for Christians to be imprisoned, one believer was imprisoned for nearly a year in connection with a social media post. He received a presidential pardon in July 2017.

Access to Bibles

There is a Bible Society in Algeria, but the printing and importation of Bibles is carefully monitored, limited and controlled by the government. Bible distributions are risky for the distributors and congregations involved, and Bibles are often confiscated by government officials.

VOM Work

VOM relocates believers who are expelled from their homes. We print and distribute Bibles and literature and support front-line workers who reach out to Muslims.

Counting the Cost, Day 1

Afghanistan

Overview
The good news of Christ reached Afghanistan by the second century, but today there are no church buildings. Cultural and religious opposition to the gospel as well as significant security issues remain great challenges for all missions efforts in this Central Asian nation. And sadly, most Afghans have never heard the gospel, do not know a Christian and have been indoctrinated to follow Muhammad’s teachings without question. Radical Islam and violent tribal political activity make the nation a difficult and dangerous place for Christians to practice their faith. There is, nevertheless, a special unity among Christians laboring for the gospel in Afghanistan. Indigenous, near-culture and expatriate believers are boldly taking risks and using every possible opportunity to help believers grow in faith and connect with local house churches.

While church growth has been slow among the more than 40 unique people groups, significant Christian growth has occurred among the Hazara people, and some among other people groups are also coming to know Christ.

Major Religions
99.8 percent of Afghans are Muslims, with 90 percent Sunni and 10 percent Shiite.

Persecutor
Both local and national governments are highly antagonistic toward Christians. Extremist groups, including the Taliban and the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS), are active, and believers are also persecuted by their families, friends and communities.

What it Means to Follow Christ
Afghan Christians cannot worship openly. They must worship in homes or other small venues, and evangelism is forbidden. Christians and seekers are highly secretive about their faith or interest in Christianity, especially following a surge of arrests in the past decade. Beatings, torture and kidnappings are routine for Christians in Afghanistan. Although waves of Christians have moved to neighboring countries to worship openly, Afghan house churches continue to grow. A small number of Christians are martyred every year in Afghanistan, but their deaths generally occur without public knowledge. A few are also in prison, but imprisonment is not common. Christian converts from Islam are often killed by family members or other radicalized Muslims before any legal proceedings can begin.

Access to Bibles
Since there are no churches or Christian bookstores in Afghanistan, Bibles are available only through underground ministry networks or in digital formats. There is little access to printed Bibles, and owning one is extremely dangerous. Most believers do not have their own Bible, but online Bibles and other digital formats are available and extremely helpful to believers and seekers. Bible translation efforts are underway for the languages of some people groups who do not have a Bible in their native language.

VOM Work
VOM equips Afghan Christians by providing Bibles, TV and radio broadcasts, discipleship training, front- line worker support and other forms of practical and spiritual assistance, with a special focus on outreach to persecuted women and widows of martyrs.