Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. — Matthew 5:10
A horrific news report popped up on social media this week claiming over 1,000 Syrian Christians were slain by Islamic extremists in a house-by-house rampage. However, as the week went on, reports emerged that it was largely a retaliatory attack on the Alawite community.
Former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad is Alawite, a branch of Islam, but the militant Islamic group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham overthrew him in December and took control of Syria. Reports reveal some Alawites attacked HTS forces, prompting this surge of violence against the Alawite community.
Reports indicate that some Christians were killed in the crossfire. It is reported that over 1,000 Alawites were killed.
As Christians, we have a responsibility to share things that are true (Phil. 4:8). Sometimes that means slowing down to ensure a story is true, even when it comes from trusted voices. Honestly, I thought this piece would be very different when I first read the headlines of a Christian genocide in Syria and the media’s silence about it.
Whether it is one or 1,000 Christians killed in Syria, persecution is still very real and the Christians in that country need our prayers.
The Christian population has shrunk dramatically in Syria since their civil war began in 2011, dwindling from about 10 percent to less than 2 percent. In 2011, Syrian Christians numbered about 1.5 million people. There were fewer than 300,000 Christians in Syria by 2022. Many have fled their homeland, ancient Christian communities that date to the first century. Some Christians have died for their faith in Syria.
Lest we forget, this is hardly the only act of Christian persecution in a year less than three months old. Just a few weeks ago, news broke about 70 Christians killed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by a group with ties to ISIS. The Islamic terrorists marched the Christians to a local church and brutally murdered them. There was little media coverage of this gruesome act.
Christians in many places around the world live under constant threats of arrest, torture and even death for naming the name of Jesus. Western Christians who do not experience this persecution ought to take advantage of their freedom to share God’s truth as far and wide as possible while we have this open door. We are not promised that it will stay open.
May the Lord minister to and through our brothers and sisters under persecution’s threat worldwide. May the Lord help those of us who have religious freedom to get off the sidelines and take advantage of this opportunity.
God forgive the American church for her spiritual apathy in the face of such glorious freedom!
God help the persecuted church to thrive in the face of evil!
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed. — 2 Corinthians. 4:8-9
Leave a Reply