Christians: Stand up for persecuted believers

Thursday, June 14, 2001

By GREGORY RUMMO

How many of us Christians here in North Jersey are aware of the persecution of our fellow believers outside of this country?

"By Their Blood -- Christian Martyrs of the Twentieth Century," by James and Marti Hefley (Baker Book House), is a good place to start learning about the price that our brothers and sisters have paid.

Included in "By Their Blood" is the story of John and Betty Stam. Under the auspices of the China Inland Mission, the Stams were sent from my congregation -- Madison Avenue Baptist Church in Paterson -- as missionaries to China in 1932. On Dec. 6, 1934, the Communists captured Tsingtao, the city where they were ministering. The Stams were arrested, and all of their possessions confiscated. Amid the rioting, John managed to scribble a letter that ultimately reached CIM headquarters.

The letter explained that their captors were demanding $20,000 to secure their freedom. But their release never occurred. Two days after their arrest, they were taken to a clump of pine trees on a hill near town. As Communists agitated the crowd with political propaganda, John and Betty were beheaded.

It is easy to forget what Paul wrote to the church in Corinth: "Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world" (1 Corinthians 4:13).

Oswald Chambers writes in "My Utmost for His Highest": "These words are not an exaggeration. The only reason they may not be true of us who call ourselves ministers of the Gospel is not that Paul forgot or misunderstood the exact truth of them, but that we are too cautious and concerned about our own desires to allow ourselves to become the refuse or the filth of the world."

We must not forget that we have it easy compared to our brothers and sisters in places such as the Sudan, Cuba, India, Egypt, Indonesia, and China -- where persecution of believers continues at a pace unrivaled at any other time in church history.

"More Christians died for their faith in the 20th century than at any other time in history," writes Harold J. Chadwick, editor of "The New Foxe's Book of Martyrs (Bridge Logos Publishers, 1997). Christian Solidarity International reports: "Global reports indicate that over 150,000 Christians were martyred last year alone."

The following are some recent examples, reported by International Christian Concern:

• Indonesia: "On Nov. 23, 2000, four Christian villages on the island of Keswui were attacked by the Laskar Jihad, a militant Islamic extremist group. While around 500 people fled to a neighboring island, over a thousand people fleeing into the woods were kidnapped by Muslims and held hostage in local mosques. . . . As many as 760 of these people were forced to convert to Islam while at least 93 Christians paid the ultimate price for refusing to deny Christ. "The leading figure of the Laskar Jihad is Ustadz Jafar Umar Thalib. He reportedly has publicly announced that his jihad warriors are going to drive every Christian in the Maluku islands into the sea."

• China: "More than 400 private homes serving as places of worship for Christians were destroyed in the months of November and December 2000. . . . If a pastor of one these house churches is found without registration, he or she is jailed and his or her home destroyed."

• India: "In January, Christians continue to be attacked by fundamentalist Hindu mobs. On Jan. 11, two priests were beaten in Jaher Village, Gujarat. David Masih and Simon Sakria were attending a prayer meeting when 40 to 50 armed men stormed the meeting, beating the priests and then abducting them."

• Saudi Arabia: "Christian expatriates continue to be arrested while meeting in private homes for worship. Filipino Christians Marlin Blando, Jose Garcia, and Ernesto Miranda were arrested on Dec. 8, 2000, in Riyadh, where they were gathered with other Christians."

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There are several things we American Christians can do to help persecuted believers. We can educate ourselves about the issue through books, the Internet, and Christian radio programs. We can speak out about it in our churches and in local newspapers.

We can bring this issue to the attention of the president and our lawmakers. We can write letters urging them to condemn the rising intolerance against Christians throughout the world. We can encourage our government to use its economic might to pressure these countries to make changes. Many argued that establishing permanent normal trade relations with China would improve the human-rights situation there, but recent reports indicate that this decision has had little effect.

Most importantly, we should pray for our brothers and sisters and their persecutors. Jesus told his disciples, "Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). The writer of the book of Hebrews encouraged Christians: "Remember those in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering" (Hebrews 13:3).

We Americans have been given many financial blessings and freedoms. We must not sit idly by as the other members of the body of Christ are persecuted. Jesus reminds us: "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked" (Luke 12:48).

Gregory Rummo is a business executive who belongs to Madison Avenue Baptist Church in Paterson, where he also serves as choir director. You may e-mail him at GregoryJRummo@aol.com

You can e-mail his editor, Lisa Haddock, at Haddock@northjersey.com