"Journey of Harmony" is the theme of the 2008 Olympic torch relay; however, the Olympic Games have already been far from harmonious even before their August 8 launching. With the world watching, the true face of China is being unveiled.  Tibet has struggled for decades to gain its independence from its domineering neighbor. It has suffered oppression, watched as its ancient monasteries were burned to the ground, endured forced political re-education of their spiritual leaders and youth and witnessed the unraveling of a centuries-old culture of peace, justice and love. 
China ’s aggression towards Tibet proves yet again that the communist government continues to deny human and religious rights to its people. Buddhists in Tibet are experiencing what many Christians throughout China have felt for the past 60 years.  Leadership in China needs to grant its citizens basic freedoms and human rights to attain the positive world recognition that it craves. As Christians, our response to this crisis is vital. We are in sympathy with the Tibetan people; we will continue to support their efforts to attain basic human rights which we in the West are so accustomed to.  Together we believe that we can make a difference in the fight against the injustices of our world.

To read more click HERE to read our blog!

We are!  Follow us by clicking HERE!

"All who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."  2 Timothy 3:12.  Since the beginning of time there have been millions of people who have suffered for the sake of Christ.  Some who were willing, some who weren’t.  Right now, there are over 200 million people suffering under persecution for Christ.   Many people ask the question, "Why God?  Why do you allow this to happen?"  I don’t know the exact answer, but here’s some insight…

In the book Faith that Endures by Ron Boyd McMillan, he says "When we become a Christian, we put on a new identity; we become a "new creation" (2 Cor. 5:17).  Suddenly a trio of forces that did not take much interest in us before begin to pursue us.  This ungodly trinity is the flesh, the world, and the devil, and when these three react to the expression of our new identity, persecution is the result!  Our world is no longer a playground but a battleground."  This is one of the best descriptions I’ve ever read explaining the underlying reason why Christians suffer so much.  Because the world hates Christ, Christians bear the consequence of potential persecution.  "I have chosen you out of this world – therefore the world hates you…If they persecuted me, they will persecute you."  John 15:19 – 20. 

Suffering through trials allows believers to overcome evil with good, and "stack hands and lock arms" with God to join the fight against Satan.  Stephen was the first person in the New Testament to be martyred because of his faith.  Saul was largely responsible for the carrying out of his execution.  When Stephen was put on trial in front of Saul and the clerics, he didn’t stop his preaching.  He chose to keep speaking the truth of God (Acts 7) up until he was stoned to death.  Although Stephen died, it did not diminish his message.  At any point during his trial, Stephen could have denounced Christ and be set free, but he chose to overcome evil and speak out, even though it cost him his life.

 ..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

This brings me to the question….what are we willing to risk in order to speak out and share Christ?  Are we willing to take everything we own, our reputation, our families, our pride – and throw it away for the sake of Christ?  You may or may not be willing, but it’s definitely worth asking yourself the question…

 

Keep updated on our blog....click HERE to check it out...and don’t forget to subscribe via RSS!!!

Hosted By: Open Doors USA
When: Saturday Apr 26, 2008
at 9:00 AM
Where: WASHINGTON, Washington DC|9 20008
United States
Description:
Open Doors USA

Click Here To View Event

SANTA ANA, CA (March 10, 2008) – According to various news reports, the United States dropped China from its list of the world's worst human rights violators Tuesday.

No reason was given for removing China from the list but the U.S. State Department's 2007 Human Rights Report said China's "overall human rights record remained poor" in 2007.

China, which will host the Olympic Games starting August 8, is ranked No. 10 on the Open Doors' World Watch list of countries where Christians suffer the greatest persecution.

This year China was classified by the State Department as authoritarian countries that are going through economic improvement and social change, but which "have not undertaken democratic political reform," the report said.

"The government also continued to monitor, harass, detain, arrest, and imprison activists, writers, journalists, and defense lawyers and their families, many of whom were seeking to exercise their rights under the law," the report added.

This report is from an Open Doors statement on China which was released with the World Watch List: "China is a large country with many contradictions. There are Christians who are restricted in their freedom to worship, but there are also areas where the situation is not as tight. Sometimes the government crackdowns against Christians were motivated by preparations for the Beijing Olympic Games in August 2008 and not by anti-Christian grounds. The government wants to make sure that there is no risk for any instability during 2008. The way they wanted to achieve this differed per area and situation. Sometimes unprecedented politeness was used, but there were also reports of house church raids and arrests.

"An unprecedented number of foreign Christians, living in China as missionaries, have been expelled from China in 2007. Sources inside the Chinese government reported the launch of this massive expulsion campaign. This campaign, encoded Typhoon No. 5, is believed to be part of the "anti-infiltration" efforts to prevent foreign Christians from engaging in mission activities before the Beijing Olympics. A number of house churches were raided in 2007 and Christians were arrested; in some cases, the government used physical violence against Christians. Although the situation in China differs per region, it remains difficult for many Christians to practice their faith."

As a result of the continued persecution in China, Open Doors USA has launched a countdown to the Summer Olympics called "One Minute/One Year/One Country." The goal of the campaign is to unite believers in the West to pray for their persecuted Chinese brothers and sisters. Over 1,500 prayer warriors have signed up for the campaign, which began last fall. Believers who participate in the campaign will receive a monthly prayer email calendar and also a daily email brief. Both will include updated information on China and specific prayer requests.

Christians are asked to pray for at least one minute each day; if possible at 8 p.m. Beijing time. To sign up for the campaign, click here!

Why China? Why now?



Add to My Profile | More Videos

North Korea Remains No. 1 Persecutor of Christians

SANTA ANA, CA (Feb. 4, 2008) – This year's No. 1 spot on Open Doors' 2008 World Watch List is no stranger: North Korea has now topped the list for six years in a row.

There is no other country in the world where Christians are being persecuted in such a horrible and relentless way. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia holds a solid No. 2 place, followed closely by Iran. Maldives is No. 4.

New at No. 5 is Bhutan, moving a few places up from No. 7 last year, mainly because Somalia and Yemen saw a decrease in persecution. The No. 6 spot is taken by Yemen.
Afghanistan rose from No. 10 to No. 7.

Laos saw little change in religious freedom last year, but it moved up one place, from No. 9 to No. 8. Two new countries entered the Top 10: Uzbekistan at No. 9 and China No. 10. Uzbekistan was No. 11 last year and China No. 12.

Islam is the majority religion in six of the top 10 countries: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Maldives, Afghanistan, Yemen and Uzbekistan. Three countries have communist governments: North Korea, Laos and China. Bhutan is the only Buddhist country on the Top 10 list.

The World Watch List ranks countries according to the intensity of persecution Christians face for actively pursuing their faith. The list is compiled based on the answers to 50 questions covering various aspects of religious freedom from Open Doors' indigenous contacts, field workers and persecuted believers.

More Christians were arrested in North Korea in 2007 than in 2006. Many have been beaten, tortured or killed because of their religious beliefs. Open Doors' local source estimates the number of underground Christians to be at least 200,000, and it's likely that there are as many as 400,000 to 500,000 believers. At least a quarter of the Christians are imprisoned for their faith in political prison camps, from which people rarely get out alive.

Carl Moeller, President/CEO of Open Doors USA, says: "It is certainly not a shock that North Korea is No. 1 on the shame list for the sixth year in a row. There is no other country in the world where Christians are being persecuted in such a horrible and systematic manner. I encourage you to join our prayer campaign for North Korea and to plug in to the many opportunities Open Doors offers to advocate for the oppressed believers during North Korea Freedom Week April 27-May 3. All the information is on our Website at www.OpenDoorsUSA.org."

In Shariah-ruled Saudi Arabia, the deplorable state of religious freedom remained generally unaltered in 2007. Under the kingdom's strict interpretation of Islamic law, apostasy (conversion to another religion) is punishable by death if the accused does not recant. There were no reports of executions for apostasy in 2007.

Islam is the official religion in Iran, and all laws and regulations must be consistent with the official interpretation of Shariah law. Although Christians are a recognized religious minority who are guaranteed religious freedom, they have reported imprisonment, harassment and discrimination because of their faith.

The status of religious freedom for Christians deteriorated in 2007 in countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan (from No. 17 to No. 15), Libya (from No. 26 to No. 23), Jordan (from No. 40 to No. 39), Belarus (from No. 42 to No. 41) and the Palestinian Territories (No. 42).

In Afghanistan, the major incident of the 23 South Korean Christians who were abducted in July 2007 gave the country a worse mark than in 2006, though other incidents also contributed to this.

China is a large country with many contradictions. There are Christians who are restricted in their freedom to worship, but there are also areas where the situation is not as tight. Sometimes the government crackdowns against Christians were motivated by preparations for the Beijing Olympic Games in August 2008 and not by anti-Christian grounds. The government wants to make sure that there is no risk for any instability during 2008. The way they want to achieve this differs in various areas and situations. Sometimes unprecedented politeness is used, but there are also reports of house church raids and arrests.

In Pakistan the influence of fanatic Muslims increased in the state security forces and the police, which meant that Christians in general were more closely monitored than before. Also the number of attacks on churches, Christian homes and other meeting places increased.

New on the World Watch List are the Palestinian Territories, where a Christian was murdered and several others were imprisoned, questioned and beaten because of their faith.

Changes for the better were recorded in Somalia (from No. 4 to No. 12), Vietnam (from No. 8 to No. 17), Burma (from No. 19 to No. 25, Ethiopia (from No. 37 to No. 43) and Colombia  (from No. 43 to 50).

In war-torn Somalia, Open Doors did not receive reports of Christians being killed or physically harassed and kidnapped for their faith, as in 2006. However, Islam is the national religion and social pressure is strong to respect Islamic tradition.

Vietnam is in transition. Entire denominations and several house churches have received permission or registration. However, there are still religious prisoners. At least one believer was killed, and tribal areas experienced more restrictions compared with their urban counterparts. Overall though, the church is enjoying more freedom than in decades.

For a complete World Watch List of the Top 50 persecutors, an in-depth look at the top 10 countries on the list and a list of countries where the situation deteriorated or improved the most, go to www.OpenDoorsUSA.org

Jesus taught that his followers would be persecuted. Two thousand years after the crucifixion this is still true. Nowhere is this heartbreaking injustice more evident than in the communist nation of North Korea. As you read this, an estimated 100,000 Christians are being imprisoned and tortured at the hands of the ruthless Kim Jung Il.

Why is this happening? For the same reasons it always has. Fear. Cowardice. Control. Despite the fact that religious freedom is guaranteed in the North Korean Constitution, the word of God remains banned. Those who attempt to share the Good News are imprisoned, beaten and executed. Many, like Kim Chul Min, escape to China, only to be captured and sent back to face a similar fate.

As fellow Christians, we simply cannot let this continue. We must join together in the name of God and do something to effect change. Our Christian family is counting on us. They desperately need our assistance. Their lives are depending on it. Please, learn more about North Korean Freedom Week and discover the many ways you can help.

Check out this video to learn more....


North Korea ACT UP!



Add to My Profile | More Videos