Disappearing Christians – opendoorsusa.org
May 22nd 2013
Long before Christianity entered Europe, it was thriving in the Middle East and Asia, according to Baylor historian Philip Jenkins’ book The Lost History of Christianity. Jenkins traces the powerful Middle Eastern and Asian church from its peak in the sixth and seventh centuries to its near extinction today.
For two thousand years the idea has been unimaginable, but now it seems more likely that Christians will no longer have a home in the region that gave birth to their faith. From the beginning of the church to the turn of the 20th century, Christians were a powerful force from Africa through Palestine and into central Asia.
One word I use to describe attacks on Christianity, as well as other religious groups, is “religicide” – the “intentional, systematic, and institutionalized effort to eliminate a religious belief and its followers from a country or region.”
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom reported “the flight of Christians out of the region (Middle East) is unprecedented and it’s increasing year by year.” In our lifetime alone “Christians might disappear altogether from Iraq, Egypt and Afghanistan.
Continue reading “Disappearing Christians – Re-Blog Open Doors”
The Peanut Gallery 