Counting the Cost, Day 24

Jordan

Overview

Jordan has experienced an influx of refugees from neighboring countries since the 1950s, with nearly half the current population composed of refugees. The refugee situation became especially severe in recent years as Syrians began arriving in large numbers during their country’s civil war, which has been ongoing since 2011. Most of the Christian activity among Jordanian Christians has been focused on serving these refugees, and as God works powerfully among Arab Muslim refugees, Jordanian Christians are emboldened as never before to reach out to their Muslim neighbors.

Major Religions
96 percent of Jordanians are Sunni Muslims. and 2 percent are Christians.

Persecutor
Christian converts from Islam are persecuted, sometimes violently, by their families, tribes, and communities. The Jordanian government restricts open evangelism and sometimes also Bible distribution activities.

What it Means to Follow Christ
Christians are free to meet openly, but they have difficulty getting government approval to open new churches or church facilities. Gatherings of believers are monitored, and Muslims who convert to Christianity often meet privately in homes to avoid drawing extra attention. Family members often create severe hardships for these believers by taking their homes, children, jobs, and inheritances.

Access to Bibles
Bibles are available through Bible societies and bookstores.

VOM Work
VOM helps respond to persecution attacks and the needs of Christian refugees. We also provide training for Christian leaders.

Counting the Cost, Day 23

Israel

Overview

The decades-long conflict between the Israeli government and Palestinian authorities over the city of Jerusalem, the temple, the land, and the status of Palestinian refugees remains among the world’s most volatile issues. During this conflict, both Jews and Muslims have been coming to faith in Christ despite their religions’ instructions to reject Christ as Lord and Savior. Christian activity is routinely opposed by Islamists among the Palestinian Arab populations of the West Bank and Gaza, and occasionally opposed by ultra-Orthodox and other anti-missionary Jews in Israel proper.

Despite this opposition, some evangelical churches include both Jews who have accepted Christ as the Messiah and Arabs who have left Islam and placed their faith in Christ. Active ministry efforts among both groups involve Bible distribution, discipleship, evangelism, church planting and theological education. The Palestinian Authority maintains some control over the West Bank under Israeli federal authority, while the militant Muslim group Hamas controls the Gaza Strip. Both groups are adamantly opposed to Christian activity and indoctrinate their populace to hate the West, Jews and Christians.

Major Religions
The two major religions in Israel are Judaism and Sunni Islam, with Christians composing a 2 percent minority, including less than 1 percent evangelicals.

Persecutor
In Muslim regions, Christian converts from Islam face severe persecution from their families, society, Palestinian government authorities and Hamas. In Jewish communities, Jews who follow Christ risk rejection, social pressure and occasional violence from ultra-Orthodox Jews and organized anti-missionary groups.

What it Means to Follow Christ
Christian converts from Islam in the West Bank and Gaza face violence at the hands of their family members and local governments, which are run by the Palestinian authorities. Christians in Israel proper often experience family rejection, low social standing and limited hope of job advancement. Jewish anti-missionary groups, especially Yad L’Achim, sometimes protest outside churches, cursing Christians and vandalizing their buildings. The anti-missionary activities have at times included violence against Christians.

Access to Bibles
Bible societies operate in Israel, including the areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas.

Christians have access to Bibles throughout the country, though they are dangerous for Christians or seekers to possess in Islamist- controlled areas.

VOM Work
VOM supports front-line workers in key regions, supports training for local churches and helps with Bible distributions. We also provide legal aid for Messianic (Christian) Jews who are harassed or deprived of their legal rights.

Counting the Cost, day 22

Iraq

Overview

The three majority-Muslim groups (Shiite Arab, Sunni Arab, and Sunni Kurdish) that compose modern-day Iraq have been in conflict for centuries. Attacks by the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS) forced tens of thousands of Christians to flee the country, leaving a small but bold and faithful remnant. For many of these Iraqi Christians, day-to-day life is focused on survival, and yet they faithfully work to advance the gospel. Many of Iraq’s Muslims have rejected Islam and become open to Christ for a variety of reasons, including the corruption and violence rampant among both radical Sunni Muslims (including ISIS) and Shiites (including the Iraqi government, backed by Iran). These circumstances provide a unique opportunity to share the gospel with Iraqis searching for hope and truth. The violence and instability have also led to a revival among traditional Christians, many of whom have come to saving faith and become bold witnesses for Christ.

Major Religions
Iraq’s population is divided between Shiite and Sunni Iraq is home to the second-largest population of Shiite Muslims, after Iran. Iraq’s Christian population has suffered severely at the hands of Islamists, decreasing from more than 1.2 million to fewer than 300,000 as the country has suffered from continual war and instability since 2003.

Persecutor
Christian converts from Islam are abused and rejected by their families. In addition, they may be killed or persecuted by clan or tribe members, government authorities or extremist groups.

What it Means to Follow Christ
Northern Iraq is still home to many Christians, who have a degree of freedom to worship even though they are under Islamist threat.

Christians in other parts of the nation, especially those who are converts from Islam, are under continual threat of violence, including abduction and murder.

Access to Bibles
ISIS and other Islamist groups destroyed every copy of God’s Word they could find, but because of the work of Bible societies and missions organizations, including VOM, far more Bibles have been distributed than have been destroyed. Today, most Christians in Iraq have their own Bible; several formats are available, including audio Bibles and children’s Bibles.

VOM Work
VOM distributes Bibles, including audio Bibles and Bibles in minority languages, in several regions. Bible translation into minority Kurdish dialects is ongoing. Additionally, we support thousands of displaced Christians through local churches.

Counting the Cost, Day 21

Iran

Overview

The Islamic Revolution of 1979, led by Ayatollah Khomeini, created the world’s only Shiite Islamic theocracy and profoundly changed every aspect of life in Iran. Today, many of those who committed their lives to Islam and Islamic rule are filled with despair. This disillusionment has opened new doors for the gospel, which is sweeping across the nation via Christian media and bold evangelists in Iran’s growing house church movements. However, the government continues its attempts to thwart this move of God. Christian leaders and pastors are often arrested, tortured and imprisoned, and their families are harassed. Some, left with no other options, choose to flee the country.

Major Religions
More than 97 percent of Iranians are identified by the government as Muslims, but a significant segment of the population has abandoned Islam, and many have come to faith in Christ.

Persecutor
Christians are persecuted by government authorities, which have a network of informants in each Family, friends and community members also persecute Christians, especially when news of a conversion becomes public.

What it Means to Follow Christ
The Iranian government is among the most oppressive regimes in the world. It is illegal to leave Islam, and Christians face the constant threat of imprisonment and being falsely charged with “acting against national security” for owning Bibles or even talking about Christ. Christians are routinely fired from their jobs, and it is difficult for a known believer to find a job or rent a home. Many Christians gather in secret fellowships and receive teaching through Christian media smuggled into the country and through broadcast media. Several Christians are currently imprisoned, and many others are under house arrest awaiting sentencing.

Access to Bibles
It is illegal to own, print, import or distribute Bibles. Since they are so difficult to obtain, Bibles are treasured by Iranian believers. Few have their own copy of God’s Word.

VOM Work
VOM provides encouragement, support and training for former prisoners as they rebuild their lives. We also provide discipleship and leadership training for current and future Christian leaders. VOM is actively involved in distributing God’s Word to believers inside Iran.

Counting the Cost, Day 20

Indonesia

Overview

Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world, with a total of more than 220 million Muslims, or about 13 percent of the world’s Muslim population. While most Indonesian Muslims practice an animistic and superstitious version of Islam known as “folk” Islam, proponents of Islamic extremism have encouraged and engaged in violence against Christians. The wickedness of these attacks has led many Muslims to question Islam and to be more open to the gospel. Bold evangelists are taking advantage of this opportunity to share the gospel and lead many Muslims to faith in Christ.

Major Religions
82 percent of Indonesians are Sunni Muslims. 13 percent are Christians, including 3 percent evangelicals.

Persecutor
The main persecutors in Indonesia are Islamic extremists, who influence moderate Muslims. While the government does not normally persecute Christians, neither does it consistently defend them.

What it Means to Follow Christ
Even though it is illegal to evangelize, it is legal, though difficult, for Muslims and others to convert to Christianity. Christians living in cities can worship openly. In rural areas, churches that actively share their faith face persecution from Muslims, local governments and the community. In some areas, small house churches of about 12 people are generally tolerated and allowed to meet openly. Muslims pay a price for converting to Christianity, and even in cities, most Christian converts from Islam choose to attend churches outside their community. Those who openly share their faith face pressure from family members because their conversion affects the family’s social standing. Muslim families often disown their children who come to faith in Christ. Foreigners who openly evangelize Muslims are required to leave the country. One Indonesian province, Aceh, has implemented Islamic law.

Access to Bibles
Bibles are available in most cities, but not in many rural locations. Indonesians can legally own a Bible, and the Indonesia Bible Society prints Bibles inside the country. However, many live in hostile and remote areas where Bibles are unavailable, and others cannot afford to purchase one.

VOM Work
VOM trains believers, assists with church planting efforts in difficult areas and helps relocate front-line workers under threat. VOM also distributes Bibles in the areas of greatest persecution, where there are often no other sources for Bibles or other Christian materials.

Counting the Cost, Day 19

India

Overview

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Hindu nationalist organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has seen a 20 percent increase in membership. Its emboldened base seeks to forcibly unite India under Hinduism despite the country’s great diversity of languages, cultures and religions. Although Prime Minister Modi has publicly said his government will not tolerate religious discrimination, his actions have proved otherwise. Vague policies, such as laws forbidding the conversion of Hindus, have passed in several Indian states, and the push for a similar federal law has gained support. These state anti-conversion laws have long been used against pastors, church planters and evangelists. Conversely, reconversion ceremonies known as Ghar Wapsi, or “homecoming,” which return Indians to Hinduism (sometimes by force), have become increasingly common.  Despite greater government restrictions on Christianity, churches are growing.

Major Religions
About 80 percent of Indians are Hindus, and more than 10 percent are Muslims. India is also the birthplace of Buddhism. The Indian government does not release accurate statistics about its Christian population, so exact figures are not available. While there are an estimated 30 to 70 million Christians in India, this is no more than a 5 percent minority among India’s staggering population of nearly 1.4 billion people.

Persecutor
The main persecutors are well-organized Hindu extremist groups, local governments and nationalist Hindus who seek to “purify” India by making it entirely Hindu. They seek to appease Hindu deities by eliminating Christians, and they view Christian converts as traitors to the Hindu homeland.

What it Means to Follow Christ
Hindu-nationalist informants live in nearly every village and report on the activities of Christians, resulting in attacks and arrests. When Christians are attacked, they often drop charges against their attackers to show forgiveness as a witness for Christ. Churches have been demolished and burned, worship gatherings have been disrupted, crosses in graveyards have been vandalized, and Bibles and other Christian literature have been confiscated and burned. Many pastors have been beaten and jailed, and several are martyred each year. Christians are often arrested and held for up to three weeks after being falsely accused of forcing Hindus to convert to Christianity. With legal assistance, they are normally able to post bail or show that the charges are unfounded.

Access to Bibles
Even though India has one of the largest Bible societies in the world, many rural Christians have never had access to a Bible. Bibles remain unaffordable for those who suffer severe poverty resulting from oppression in Hindu- and Muslim-controlled areas. In addition, the remoteness of some areas and widespread illiteracy continue to pose challenges for Bible distribution.

VOM Work
VOM responds to persecution incidents and supports persecuted pastors and their families as well as front- line workers. We provide Bibles and other practical help to Christians living in India’s most hostile areas.

Counting the Cost, Day 18

Ethiopia

Overview

The gospel was first brought to Ethiopia in the first century, but many Ethiopian Christians still face persecution today. In southern Ethiopia, political unrest and the rise of Wahhabism, an extreme branch of Islam, among the Oromo people have resulted in a wave of attacks against Christians across the region. Eastern Ethiopia has one of the largest Somali populations in the world, and Christians there are persecuted by both their communities and their families. In northern Ethiopia, militants among the Ethiopian Orthodox Church persecute evangelical believers. Several majority-Muslim tribal groups throughout Ethiopia also persecute Christians. Freedom of religion is guaranteed under Ethiopian law, and the national government generally works to protect the rights of Christians. But recent political unrest has created opportunities for large attacks on Christians and churches throughout the country. Still, evangelical churches in Ethiopia continue to plant new churches and send missionaries to difficult areas. In November 2020, a civil war broke out in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, causing immense suffering and greatly affecting churches and pastors in the minority evangelical area.

Major Religions
59 percent of Ethiopians are Christians (42 percent Orthodox and 17 percent evangelical). Islam is growing, and Muslims now compose nearly 40 percent of the population.

Persecutor
Believers in the south and east face persecution, especially those who leave Islam to follow Jesus. Some believers living in the north are persecuted by militants among the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

What it Means to Follow Christ
Most Christians worship freely and openly. However, evangelicals are sometimes pressured to join traditional churches, and Christian converts from Islam face violence and even death threats in Muslim-majority areas.

Access to Bibles
Bibles are printed, sold and distributed in Ethiopia with no restrictions. However, in many rural areas believers can be severely persecuted for owning a Bible.

VOM Work
VOM helps rebuild destroyed churches and believers’ homes, helps care for widows of martyrs, provides Bibles to believers in persecuted areas, supports local church evangelism efforts and equips pastors in difficult regions.

Counting the Cost, Day 17

Eritrea

Overview

Located on the Red Sea, Eritrea is governed by a totalitarian regime that seeks to control every aspect of life. Some have compared Eritrea to the “hermit kingdom” of North Korea, as it is one of the most secretive and isolated countries in the world. In 2002, the government outlawed every form of religion except Islam, Orthodox Christianity, Roman Catholicism and the Lutheran Church. All other religious groups are illegal, and the government maintains tight control of approved churches, including their messages. Years of communism, required military service and economic depression have caused many Eritreans, including evangelical believers, to flee the country. But during the recent war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, the Eritrean army was allowed to cross the border and destroy two Eritrean refugee camps, taking many refugees, including Christians, back to Eritrea.

Over the past year, the government has released some Christian prisoners while arresting several new groups. While the 2018 peace agreement between Eritrea and Ethiopia ended a two-decade war, the benefits have been one-sided. Ethiopians may travel freely between the two countries, but travel for Eritreans is restricted by their government. Despite these hardships, the underground church in Eritrea continues to grow due to the faithfulness of church leaders inside and outside the country.

Major Religions
The population is nearly evenly divided between Sunni Muslims and Orthodox Christians. Only about 3 percent are evangelical Christians.

Persecutor
The authoritarian government harasses, arrests and imprisons Christians.

What it Means to Follow Christ
Evangelical churches must meet secretly. The government actively seeks to infiltrate these underground churches and imprison their leaders. About 400 believers are known to remain in prison, including several top leaders. Imprisoned Christians are not given a trial or allowed to see their families, many of whom do not know where their loved ones are imprisoned or even if they are still alive. Christians simply disappear and are assumed to be in government prisons. The conditions inside these “prisons” are some of the harshest in the world.

Access to Bibles
Bibles are available, but the government tracks each Bible sold. Christian literature is highly regulated, and most believers who want Bibles must smuggle them in. For this reason, many believers must access Scripture by digital means.

VOM Work
VOM supports Christian prisoners and their families. We provide Bibles and Christian literature to believers inside Eritrea.