Call to action for our persecuted church family
As 350 Christians gathered in Belfast to make a joint declaration that they would stand with the persecuted Church, there were warnings that Christian freedom in the UK was also at risk.
Key speaker at the Call for Action at St Anne’s Cathedral on May 1, was Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali. He spoke of the different reasons for Christians being persecuted in many parts of the world, then went on to warn about the impact on the UK of what he called the spread of aggressive secularism.
His comments came after a landmark legal judgement last week over the dismissal of a Christian counsellor. (See background below)
Examples were given of persecution in China, Iran, Pakistan, Sudan and Eritrea. The congregation were invited to kneel and pray for Christians in Nigeria, who have suffered recent attacks on their communities. A film was shown of an Iranian woman, who tearfully told how she had been forced to leave her family and her country after she had converted from Islam.
Bishop Michael said that persecution arose from tyranny and ideology – be it religious or atheistic.
Mervyn Thomas of Christian Solidarity Worldwide reminded Christians to obey Christ’s command to pray for their persecutors: ‘We pray that something in the hearts, in the lives and in the testimony of those being persecuted would speak of the love, the grace and the hope of the Gospel to those who persecute them.’
The event was hosted by the leaders of three leading organisations serving the persecuted Church: Open Doors, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, and Release International. As the three shared the platform, Eddie Lyle of Open Doors said ‘We are co-workers together and we are thrilled to be working together.’
As the three leaders stood together in an act of solidarity, they called on the congregation to read together the declaration:
Every Christian has the right to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, just as every person has the right to hear it.
Every Christian who suffers for their faith should be remembered and supported by other Christians.
Every Christian has a right to know how oppressed fellow Christians are being treated.
Every Christian is one in Christ, a member of his body: if one part suffers, every part suffers with it.
Persecution is intensifying in many countries, from militant Islam and communism, to the Hindu and Buddhist worlds. Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Release International and Open Doors have been working closely to support persecuted Christians.
‘How much has it cost you thus far to follow Christ?’ asked Andy Dipper of Release. ‘We must do more than shake our heads at these painful stories. We must engage with our persecuted brothers and sisters. We are one family, and we must bear their burdens. What can we do? We can pray; we can give; we can support them in their work and witness. We urge every church to place persecuted believers high on their agenda.’
www.csw.org.uk
www.opendoorsuk.org www.releaseinternational.org
Background
Gary McFarlane, who worked for Relate, was sacked after saying he could not offer sexual counselling to homosexual couples because of his Christian beliefs. Lord Justice Laws refused to allow Mr McFarlane to have his case heard at the Court of Appeal - effectively overruling Mr McFarlane’s right to obey his conscience. Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali said: ‘This judgement affects the fundamental freedoms of Christians in the UK. There will be a large-scale marginalisation of the Christian faith in this country.’