{"id":82843,"date":"2019-06-19T08:00:09","date_gmt":"2019-06-19T12:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/?p=82843"},"modified":"2019-06-18T18:40:57","modified_gmt":"2019-06-18T22:40:57","slug":"usa-today-global-christian-persecution-is-worsening-while-american-churches-slumber","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/?p=82843","title":{"rendered":"(USA Today) David Curry–Global Christian persecution is worsening while American churches slumber"},"content":{"rendered":"

On May 18, extremists in Nigeria interrupted a church choir practice and abducted 17 Christians<\/a>. They are being ransomed and might never see their families again. Some of the Christian women may be sold into slavery or raped and forced to marry the jihadist. It\u2019s the latest attack in the escalating violent war on Christians within Nigeria, where 3,731 Christians were killed<\/a> last year.<\/p>\n

If such violence had occurred in Nashville rather than Nigeria, it would dominate nightly news broadcasts and saturate social media feeds. American churches would be launching fundraising campaigns for victims\u2019 families and addressing it in their weekly gatherings. In this case, however, the American church has barely acknowledged it. Unfortunately, when violence occurs somewhere \u201cover there\u201d instead of in our backyard, it is often dismissed as just another story. American churches must do better.<\/p>\n

I constantly bear witness to this sort of violence and the corresponding malaise by the nature of the organization I lead, Open Doors USA. We track such incidents of Christian persecution around the world through our annual World Watch List<\/a>, a comprehensive ranking of countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. To us, this is more than just \u201canother story”; it is another data point in a global crisis of persecution. One of every nine Christians<\/a> experience high levels of persecution and suffer for their faith, and it\u2019s picking up pace.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just in Nigeria.<\/p>\n

Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

Today in USA Today, Open Doors CEO David Curry calls the U.S. Church to wake up to the global crisis: “The American church is feeding itself to death while the worldwide church is being murdered.” https:\/\/t.co\/kKXiN4O6bv<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Open Doors USA (@OpenDoors) June 18, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n