The persecution of Christians is getting worse all around the world and the Open Doors USA CEO Dr. David Curry says it could well be the most severe since the early church was under assault by the Roman Empire.
On Wednesday, Open Doors USA released its 2016 World Watch List, an annual report listing the 50 most repressive nations for Christians.
“This past year saw the persecution of Christians escalating to an unprecedented rate. We think that perhaps not since the the first century church have we seen such an unrelenting and spreading threat against the Christian faith,” said Curry.
While there were some changes in the ranking of the 50 worst nations, Curry says there’s so much persecution around that countries making the list are far more aggressive in targeting believers than even just a few years ago.
“One of the things that made this the most difficult time in the modern era is that it’s more difficult to get on the list. Every continent is more difficult so unfortunately there aren’t a lot of bright spots,” said Curry.
Once again, North Korea tops the World Watch List for the most brutal repression of Christians.
“Tens of thousands of Christians are imprisoned for their faith, some even executed for things just as simple as owning a bible,” said Curry, who says three other elements factor into Pyongyang’s depravity.
“First of all, you have a cult like system that sees Christianity as a threat to the worship of the leader there and his ancestors. They also have the ability to control the police system and the judicial system, if you can call it that, to use all the means of government to suppress freedom of religious expression,” said Curry, who says believers are very fearful of being discovered by the government or its spies.
“The community itself is now so paranoid that it’s making it difficult for the Christian faith in North Korea,” said Curry.
Iraq is second on the list as a result of both government oppression of Christians and the terrorist tactics of ISIS. In fact, the nations ranked ranked two through nine on the list are dominated by Muslims. In addition to Iraq, they include Eritrea, Afghanistan, Syria, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, Iran and Libya.
Curry says the threat posed to Christians in Islamic nations is intensifying greatly.
“Extremists are solidifying and spreading their caliphate. That’s true in the Islamic State sense. It’s now bleeding into Libya and some of these areas. but it’s also true in Africa. Boko Haram is spreading into Niger from Nigeria and hoping to solidify into Chad,” said Curry.
Curry says Eritrea has shot up the list because the formal government there is forcing Sharia law throughout the country and cracking down mercilessly on Christians. He says prison condition there are so horrific that many prisoners die after a short while.
Praying for persecuted Christians and their situations is the first recommendation from Open Doors USA, But Curry is also urging people to sign a petition at the opendoorsusa.org site to urge President Obama to fight for persecuted believers. Curry is hopeful that America’s relationship with the likes of Iraq, Pakistan and Eritrea can foster pressure for reforms.
“People can sign this petition to encourage President Obama to make this a priority in his final year,” said Curry.
