Christians stand fast after years of violence, and the Gospel is spreading

(Image courtesy Mission India)

India (MNN) ― In some parts of India, who or what you put your faith in holds the power of life and death.

Orissa is one out of five states in India that has an active anti-conversion law. The violence that exploded between Hindus and Christians in August of 2008 has left bleeding wounds, and hostility remains. As more Indians convert to Christianity, attacks increase.

“Who you worship in India is a big deal,” says Dave Stravers, president of Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Mission India. “The testimony of believers to Jesus is the key factor here.”

Recently, a man was violently assaulted for distributing tracts. He was dragged to the police and told to stop.

In another village, a young man witnessed to four of his friends who then came to Christ. The five young men, mostly teenagers, met for regular prayer meetings. One day, a large group of Hindu activists interrupted their prayer by breaking down the door and beating them.

“Often the persecutors result to violence,” Straver says. “Almost every worker at some point gets physically attacked, beaten up. So we pray for the miracle of great courage.”

These stories echo the acts of genocide in 2008. “That was the typical reaction years ago, but now the new stories we are hearing are actually more encouraging,” says Stravers.

He shares a story of a Mission India church planter in a small village. Four families out of 72 came to Christ as Stravers ministered to them, and the rest of the villagers became terrified. They believed that Shiva, their village god, would punish the whole village because of these four families. Fear for their crops and their health caused great hostility.

The village leaders ordered the families to stop following Christ, but they refused. For the time being, the Christian families are meeting outside of the village to worship.

Members of Mission India are confident that as the fear of Shiva abates, more families will come to Christ in that village. The steadfastness of those four families is very encouraging, and they continue to witness to their neighbors.

Often pride of heritage and culture can be a barrier for the Gospel. Indians are extremely proud of their background, and their resistance to the Gospel can increase when it is presented by a foreigner.

“The fact that there are very few foreign workers in India for the past 30 years is actually positive,” says Stravers. “We try to help the workers in India in a way that does not give a foreign face to the Gospel.”

Poverty is also a barrier for new Christians. Most Christians in India are first generation and do not have great understanding of skills in ministry. They need access to Bibles and other materials that could aid in witnessing. They also would benefit from training. To see how you can help, click here.

Pray that new believers and the workers placed in India will be encouraged. They know that they will face persecution and resistance. Pray for courage and strength, and that they would look to the eternal significance of their work. Pray that the Gospel will continue to spread in India despite the restrictions and hostility toward it.

Deadly religous brawl erupts in Nigeria over soccer field

Nigeria (MNN) ― A weekend argument over a soccer field in Nigeria exploded into a free-for-all of violence between Muslims and Christians. 

There are differing news accounts of what happened, but most accounts agree that a Muslim and a Christian quarreled with each other on the field on February 23 in Wukari, northern Taraba State. Open Doors Minister-at-large Paul Estabrooks explains what happened next. "Essentially, the Muslim young person was able to get his hands on a gun, and he shot the young Christian that he was arguing with, which then started a whole conflict between the team and everyone around." 

Within minutes, the fight spiraled out of control. Estabrooks says various news accounts describe absolute mayhem. "The violence extended into the village and the town: 300 homes were burned. It's just incredible violence that occurred there that makes you shudder!"

Police say at the end, five people were dead, although the toll is expected to rise. As of Monday, the casualty list ranged from 20 to 30 victims. Aside from the loss of homes, places of worship also sustained damage. 

The explosion of violence unnerved authorities, and Estabrooks notes that it took very little to tip the scales after a Boko Haram attack on a Christian family in Abuja just two days prior. "It just shows us how deep the religious tensions are in that part of the world. It doesn't take much."

In that attack, military and government reports confirm that Muslim attackers used machetes and guns to murder 10 members of the same Christian family in Plateau state, with half of the victims under the age of six. 

The incident also highlights concerns that the violence won't be contained in the north. "What distresses me," says Estabrooks, "is that it's the young people of northern Nigeria who are the most restless about the violence and about the issues that the two religious groups face." 

What's more, the messages young people are hearing from their leaders are mixed, adding to the tension and confusion. Estabrooks explains: on the one hand, "there is one church leader in Nigeria who has a lot of influence, who says to the young people, ‘Jesus taught non-violence. We cannot respond to violence with violence. It's just not the biblical pattern.'"

On the other hand, "you have another leader who has possibly more influence with young people there who tells them, ‘We have turned the other cheek so many times, we have no more cheeks to turn. So it's time to take up arms and deal with this issue!'

Security forces on patrol. (Story photo by This Day)

"The whole area is just pulsing with antagonism to one another. It seems to me that it has to be even more than just religious differences." Estabrooks asks if there is a winner in this contest for the youth. "Being young and being very emotional when these things happen, you get this kind of conflict that's horrifying as the ultimate outcome."

The future is what's at stake, and the youth have a lot of energy that needs direction. Government efforts to protect Christians haven't been reassuring since the attacks continue. Much of the violence is blamed on the sect Boko Haram, whose name in Hausa means "Western education is sin." Their stated goals are to create an Islamic state, instill Sharia Law, and eradicate Christianity. 

Estabrooks says Christians in Nigeria need prayer for wisdom and grace. "We really need to pray for our brothers and sisters who live in that area of such high tensions, and that God would give them the ability to be peacemakers rather than respond to every little insult and let it erupt into violence that will just about destroy an entire community."

The Gospel message runs counter to the tit-for-tat that disintegrated into a melee Saturday. Estabrooks explains, "Jesus' teaching is a very attractive teaching to people of peace, love, and the ‘putting others before yourself.' But if we don't live it as Christians, no one else is going to accept it because they don't see it in reality."

Boko Haram 'cease fire' reveals future goals

(Photos by Voice of the Martyrs)

Nigeria (MNN) ― 23 days ago, Nigeria's Islamist faction, Boko Haram, offered a truce.

The government responded with a 30-day "wait and see." Their cautious optimism came in light of the intensified 42-month multi-prong attack strategy. It seemed that under the "Western education is forbidden" motto of Boko Haram, everyone was fair game: military, police, security facilities, schools and churches.

The goals of the extremist group were two-fold: instill Sharia law throughout the country, and create an Islamic state. A subset goal was the eradication of Christian presence.

Todd Nettleton, a spokesman for The Voice of the Martyrs USA, notes confusion over the ceasefire offer. Violence was supposed to stop, but "there are news reports that since the announcement was made, 53 Nigerians have lost their lives in violence. Not all of those have been claimed by Boko Haram. but they are assumed to be Boko Haram, so it doesn't seem like there's been a significant change of direction."

That reveals two things, observes Nettleton. First, the ongoing violence could signal a rift within the leadership of the Boko Haram sect. That's evidenced by the hallmarks of unclaimed violence. Several of the recent attacks have been dismissed as the work of a criminal gang, while others are blamed on extremists.
 Nettleton says that because of the confusion, "It is hard to look at the situation and clearly identify who the player is in a particular incident or a particular attack, because they're just not a united organization."

Second, it indicates the country is still a long way from bidding terrorism good bye. "Boko Haram is not really a united organization. There are different factions and different groups and different sub leaders under the overall Boko Haram ‘umbrella.' Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathon believes the spread of the Islamist extremist group could eventually undermine the region."

Nettleton explains, "There has also been this group called ‘Ansaru' that kind of split off from Boko Haram; they apparently are more focused internationally. They're focused on Mali, they're focused on the rest of Africa."

Boko Haram provides al Qaeda with an avenue to expand in Africa since they share ambitions and causes within Nigeria, greater Africa, and throughout Asia and Europe.

What does that mean? Fragmentation usually manifests in all groups trying to make a name for themselves.

That means more attacks and more violence. Nettleton says, "We may start to see more connections between those different groups, and that obviously is a frightening prospect for Christians in Africa. It's also a frightening prospect for the government in these countries that would like to put a lid on this violence."

The prospect of a blood-tainted future can be daunting, but VOM workers continue to come alongside believers in Nigeria to encourage them. A recent distribution of 37 bicycles, 15 motorcycles, and 50 megaphones will help pastors and Christian workers in the north. These simple tools will help them share the story of Jesus Christ in northern Nigeria.

Despite the near weekly attacks on churches, 2,500 believers in Gombe state gathered for a worship service. Gombe is one of the hardest-hit states in the north. "One of the significant opportunities for spreading the Gospel is the way that the Christians respond to persecution and even to those who are persecuted."

Widows, orphans, pastors and entire families from all over Gombe came together to hear a pastor preach about loving their neighbors. The pastor reminded worshipers that they must not hate their attackers and that martyrs like Stephen forgave his attackers. That message is the crux of the work VOM does, says Nettleton. "If Christians respond with forgiveness, with grace, and love, that can be an incredible testimony of the truth of the Gospel."

Pray that Muslims there will be reached with the Gospel. Pray for Christians in Nigeria to remain confident in the Lord. Pray for many others in Nigeria to come to know Christ and for church leaders to advance their ministry.

Book uncovers horrors hidden by Communist government

North Korean Prison Camps hold 150 -200 k
 human beings in bad conditions

North Korea (MNN) ― Spotted easily on satellite images but heavily denied by the government, North Korean prison camps harbor horrors equal to the Holocaust. A biography released earlier this month profiles the only man to escape from a "total control zone" camp, Shin Dong-hyuk. After spending a few weeks on bestseller lists, Escape from Camp 14 is drawing international attention to North Korea.

As North Korea faces human rights criticisms, Open Doors USAdraws attention to the plight of North Korean believers. The isolated Asian nation ranks #1 on the Open Doors 2012 World Watch List: a compilation of 50 countries where believers face the most religious persecution. An estimated 40,000 to 70,000 Christians suffer in total control zone internment camps, where people labeled as "wrong thinkers" are sent to die.

Shin Dong-hyuk was born in this same type of camp in 1982. In his book, Shin admits reporting his mother and brother to prison guards because they were going to escape without him. As a result, they were hung in front of Shin and other prisoners, and he was also tortured as punishment for their "crime."

Shin told American journalist Blaine Harden, author of Escape from Camp 14, "I wanted people to know this is the kind of children they are raising right now in these camps: people whose loyalty is to the guards and who will do anything to get more food."

Conditions in North Korean prison camps are similar to camps under the unforgettable regime of Hitler, Stalin and Mao. "Political prisoners" essentially work themselves to death while being subjected to severe physical and psychological torture. Open Doors reported they work 18-20 hours each day, with little to no food. To supplement their rations, prisoners consume anything edible, including snakes, rats, insects, roots, and grass.

In April, the U.S.-based Committee for Human Rights in North Korea released a report based on interviews with 60 former prisoners and guards. The 200-page report describes prison camps located mainly in northern mountainous regions behind barbed wire and electric fences -- fences Shin climbed through to escape, using his best friend's body as insulation against the deadly current.

In 2009, North Korea told the UN Human Rights Council, "The term 'political prisoner' does not exist in the [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] DPRK's vocabulary…the so-called political prisoners' camps do not exist." According to the April report, former prisoners were able to identify their work sites, execution grounds, and other landmarks using satellite imagery available through Google Earth.

Greg Scarlatoiu, Executive Director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, said that while North Korea tries to hide the horrendous realities of Pyongyang, over 30,000 North Korean defectors have fled the country -- up from 3,000 defectors ten years ago.

Pray for imprisoned believers in North Korea. Ask God to sustain them, and pray that they might be released. Pray for changes that can only be brought about by the Gospel.

Ethnic and communal violence spreads fear throughout India

Assam violence (File photo courtesy of Gospel For Asia)

India (MNN) ― The beauty of India's Assam state is belied by its bloody history.

Ethnic and religious violence in that region has forced the military to respond and impose a curfew after days of rioting.

At least 50 died and hundreds were injured in the clashes that lasted a week and a half--clashes between Muslim settlers and the Hindu-leaning Bodos. The Bodos are one part of three larger indigenous secessionist movements.  

Although the issues that lead to conflict are complex, Danny Punnose with Gospel For Asia simplifies what's been going on there. "There's always tribal fighting between tribes, or land disputes. This is a very common thing up in the northeast part of India in those areas. But the violence is getting a little more severe where people are actually being killed and there's rioting happening. So the army has been called out to give a sense of security, but also a sense of protection."

Stories of Muslim-Hindu violence spread like wildfire through social media outlets, which also sparked panic that led to days of more rioting. Government officials had been trying to encourage people to ignore the inflammatory stories, to no avail. Punnose goes on to say that "there are rumors that violence is going to break out there because there are lots of Assamese workers and students down in the south." As the trouble had been escalating and spreading, thousands who were from the Northeast fled the southern city of Bangalore last week.

Nearly 400,000 people are in makeshift camps, displaced by the escalating fighting. In the meantime, curfews have been imposed in some areas. "Everything [comes] to a standstill. It's the only way to contain certain elements of the violence," says Punnose, adding that  those who violate curfew risk their lives. "They think that you are part of the underground, or the underground thinks you're part of the army, so you're caught in the crossfire."

In some areas, curfews have been relaxed to certain hours. Although the violence seems to have calmed somewhat, it would take very little to ignite uprisings. Issues are deeply polarizing. Punnose says until the uneasy calm can be trusted, much of their work is also at a standstill.

Solutions won't easily be reached, he goes on to say. "It's very, very deeply ingrained. It's not just the caste system: it's tribal, and it's land. It's so many levels of the dynamics of this, and then you've got violence and you've got strikes."

GFA is asking for prayer. "Pray for the leaders of the nation to have wisdom to know how to handle this. You're not talking about people just being upset with each other. This is thousands of years of ingrained prejudice and animosity and anger."

Although their teams can't get out, Punnose says they are readying themselves for response. "Pray that God would give us opportunities to share the love of Christ, whether it's praying for people or counseling people, or maybe it's relief work to help people get back on their feet."

Christians plead for prayer in a violent Iraq

Iraq (MNN) ― Last week, a string of bombings killed over 100 people in Iraq. Sunday, July 29, seven Iraqi policemen were killed in two bombings and a drive-by shooting, according to the Associated Press.

Violence has spiked all over Iraq this year, and Christians have also been targeted. Believers continue to leave the deathly nation because many who remain are being killed.

Open Doors USA recently received this e-mail from one of their contacts in Baghdad:

"The terror in Iraq recently was the worst for several years. Each hour the news of what happened gets worse. There have also been major al-Qaeda threats to everyone, especially the Christians. After last week's violence, communication is terrible.

"It is not really possible to describe the devastation here in Baghdad. Over 100 have been killed. Security has been a target. We have none. I came back early because things were getting worse, and they sure are! We are all okay, though.

"We are used to bad problems here in Baghdad, but the violence is just quite unbelievable. 12 car bombs, 2 suicide bombers on motor bikes. Scores of police and soldiers killed. We no longer have any security. It was all Iraqi police and soldiers. Whilst our people have not been killed, the injuries are so severe to so many.

"There have also been new serious threats from Abu Baker Al Hussani, the head of al-Qaeda in Iraq. Despite all of this, we do not give up and do not fear. We keep praising the Holy One who never leaves us.

"Well, today has been good and exhausting. In the church we have been looking at Psalm 23. When people ask me what they should pray for us here in Iraq, I say it should be the 3 P's: Protection, Provision and Perseverance. It is these three things that Psalm 23 deals with. Have a look and see what is what."

Pray for Iraq and the remaining Christians. Pray that they would remain bold and might have opportunities to share the peace of Christ with frightened community members around them.

Suicide bomber threatens ministry

(Photo courtesy of Freedom House)

Syria (MNN) ― [Note: The violence is growing. On average, 131 Syrians are killed each day. Assad troops continue to clash with Syrian rebel forces.

Lyndsey Gammage with Mission Network News had a chance to hear about the current situation in Syria from a representative of a ministry doing humanitarian aid work and evangelism there. Because the situation is so dangerous, we can’t name the organization, the correspondent, or go into detail about their project. But they’re doing great work for the name of Christ. Here’s the interview.]

Lyndsey: Syria. Kind of a hot topic right now, and you’re updated on a lot of the issues going on there and even some humanitarian aid work. Could you just tell us a little bit about the current events and what’s going on?

*Joe: Okay, thank you for this opportunity. I just got off the phone about half an hour ago with our contact [in Syria]. The people that are working on [our] project are all scattered. As a matter of fact, all the people that we have inside this country have been taken out. They’re not in the country anymore; they’re in neighboring countries. We had to close our big distribution effort [in a strategic location]. They were threatened by suicide bombers, and so they had to close everything down. So there is no distribution going on inside the country at the moment.

But we do have distribution in neighboring countries because of the refugees. You know, there are thousands of people. As I heard this morning, it’s a continuous stream of people now crossing the border into Lebanon and Jordan. It’s a devastating situation, but it’s an opportunity for us to be able to give out food packets and medical packets to these people. So we have two huge distribution efforts going on at the moment [outside Syria].... In both situations, [we] are working with established churches. While there are advantages and disadvantages of working with a church, one [advantage] is that you have a lot of volunteers helping you, and it’s a little bit more official--especially in [unnamed city] where the people could come onto the church compound and get packets where you could freely share whatever you want with them because it’s a Christian environment. In [another area], it’s not as easy because they go door-to-door, and they offer them a packet which contains food and medical supplies and some other materials that we hope they will be able to watch and read. But there’s an opportunity to talk to the people; there’s a personal contact. Mostly what the [volunteers] do is sympathize with the situation and find out what their real needs are. And then most of the time, they would offer to pray for them. Most of these people—although they are Muslims—would accept prayer. And of course. the prayer is in the name of Jesus.

Lyndsey: When exactly did your team have to pull out of Syria?

Joe: Two days ago they had to pull everybody out. The situation is escalating at an incredibly dramatic pace. They expect that in the next month or two...the violence is just going to escalate, and we don’t know how much of that is going to spill over into Israel because, as you see in the news, there are other countries supplying weapons to the radical groups [in Syria], and their aim is to take Israel out. So the thing is really in a very volatile situation at the moment.

Lyndsey: Now what would it take for your team to be able to go back into Syria and continue the distribution?

Joe: Well, as soon as things normalize. I mean, the people who have come out of there are all nationals. They love [Syria]. Their kids are in school there. So, as soon as the situation normalizes, they will go back. For now, they’re all out of the country. [The] people that have pulled out are all nationals; there are no westerners. We don’t have westerners working in that part of the world.

Lyndsey: The suicide bombers threatening: Is that troops with Assad, or is it the rebel forces, or is it just independents?

Joe: You know, we don’t know. It could be both. It could be from either side. You know what happens: if there’s an escalation of violence against the government…the radical Muslims in the country then use that position or situation to their advantage. We find in every country, when the violence starts breaking out, the next thing that happens is they start targeting Christians and churches. They start burning down. It happened in Egypt, it happened in Libya, it happened in Indonesia, it happened in Bahrain, all over the place. The minute there’s violence against the government, the radicals use that opportunity to start persecuting the Christians. I doubt [the threats] would be from the government because they normally wouldn’t [conduct] suicide bombings. It would probably be the radicals, which I think if you scratch a little bit on the surface you’ll find out its al-Qaeda that is behind all of this. So they just use the situation normally, and they take advantage of it because it’s chaos. The more its chaos and energy, they would be able to do stuff without being opposed or stopped. Normally the government, if a church is bombed, will sort of turn a blind eye, but they would still try and warn the people not to do it. But if you have energy like this and there’s chaos, then nobody even cares about that.

Lyndsey: How is your team encouraging the church in this time?

Joe: We help them like we are doing right now, channeling as much as we can in there to get them at least humanitarian aid as far as possible, to relieve the need. We try and uplift the people by praying with them, helping them. A lot of times we would evacuate people out of the refugee camp or where they are and take them to a hospital because they don’t have transportation. We could take children and people that are wounded or sick and help them get medical treatment.

Lyndsey: And how can other Christians be praying?

Joe: Our staff has a huge prayer network going on all over the world and is praying for the situation.

Lyndsey: Well, thank you so much for talking with us today about this. Is there anything you wanted to add, anything that I missed?

Joe: No, this is the information I have at the moment.... I think from what I’ve said now, it should be okay. We mentioned cities and names of places, but it shouldn’t be a problem as long as we do not connect it with people, names, or with the specific product.... That’s a huge security risk.

Lyndsey: Will do. I’m Lyndsey Gammage with Mission Network News.

*Correspondent’s name changed for security reasons.

Weekend violence ups refugee flight

(Photo courtesy of Christian Aid Mission)

Syria (MNN) ― This past week marked the bloodiest set of conflicts since the start of the Syrian civil war with a death toll of around 1,200.

The violence reached a climax over the weekend as President Bashar al-Assad’s military struck back against rebel forces occupying various districts of Damascus, the capital of Syria.

Government tanks and helicopters blasted the capital as pockets of rebels roamed the streets. According to The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 140 Syrians, including 43 troops, were slain in the clash on Saturday.

The retaliation of Assad forces on the rebel-held districts of Damascus came after a six-day series of rebel attacks resulting in the assassination of four Assad top security officials last week. The rebels marked their six-day operation as “Damascus Volcano.”

Bill Bray with Christian Aid Mission says the increased Syrian violence is affecting refugee numbers. “What we saw over the weekend especially was just everywhere.... All of the missions and outreaches that we’re supporting in the front-line states are seeing a massive increase in refugees from Syria coming across the border: all kinds of refugees, but especially Christians.”

EU officials report that the number of Syrian refugees fleeing the country has reached 115,000.

Bray says one of their workers witnessed the waves of Syrian refugees fleeing by night. “He said it looked like army ants were coming across the border all night. Everywhere he could look, under fences, everywhere there’s a hole, they’re coming across.”

Yet the hope of the Gospel casts a beam of light on a seemingly devastating situation. Christian Aid Mission is providing funds for Syrian refugees to provide humanitarian aid such as food packs and housing, along with God’s Word.

“Over the weekend, 20 new believers were baptized, so evangelism is still going on. Church planting and small group Bible studies also continue…devotional fervor is high,” says Bray.

And in Lebanon, Christians aren’t just reaching out to refugees in their country. According to Bray, “While the Turks are allowing Syrian refugees to cross the border to some extent, they’re not allowing any mobilization of the Turkish Christians to reach out to them. But the Lebanese Christians are crossing the border. They are asking us for New Testaments and 15,000 New Testament CDs to distribute, so they are viewing the Turkish refugee camps as an evangelistic opportunity.”

Such an evangelistic opportunity for such a great need, however, requires funding. Bray states, “Just as fast as the money comes in, we’re sending it over. The need is tremendous: the need for housing, rent, [and] food packs. We can feed a refugee family for $90 a week.... And of course, there’s a great hunger for the Word of God. So giving out Bibles; that’s really an important part of the witness.”

Pray for the safety and salvation of Syrian refugees and for the safety of evangelizing Christians.

SAT-7 programming responds to emotional toll of Syrian conflict

Syria (MNN) ― The physical cost of Syria's current state of violence has been great. Conservative estimates say that over 6,000 people have died during the last year's unrest. Still, most have so far avoided this fate. But no one has been able to escape the emotional toll the crisis demands.

As mortar shells and rockets fall on Homs, Syrians are asking why and how such devastation could occur. In response to this prolonged agony, SAT-7 programming is addressing how to cope with and respond to the events taking place.

SAT-7, a Christian satellite television service to North Africa and the Middle East, has certainly not been shy on the subject of Syria, or on comforting the nation's people. During difficult times, SAT-7 aims to transmit a message of comfort and encouragement. SAT-7 believes calling people to pray gives them a hope for the future that with God's power, can be better than today.

SAT-7 broadcasts a current events show called "Salt of the Earth." Recently, the program aired an episode about fears for Syria's future. The show host interviewed Bessam Kamel, a member of the General Secretariat of the Syrian National Counci. Kamel stressed the importance of being part of the solution to the problem. He also emphasized the priority of protecting religious minorities like Christians.

This was some comfort, but news broadcasts from other media outlets in the region have been showing images of people injured and dying. A LIVE SAT-7 broadcast of a sermon preached in Egypt spoke to the difficulty of understanding violence from a Christian perspective.

"We are called to beseech God to stop the spilling of blood, so that there will not be killing and victimization of others," the speaker charged. "And we should not be selfish and forget our brothers [and sisters] in Syria, for they are suffering too... As we pass through these difficult circumstances, we are called to be joyful."

Furthermore, in the series "The Revealer of Secrets", SAT-7 ARABIC is running a report called "Pray for Syria." It is running similar reports for Yemen, Egypt, Sudan, and Tunisia. The report begins with a background that familiarizes the viewer with basic facts about the country. This leads into a description of Syrian Christians' role and predicament in society.

"Christians live in a state of silence in the shadow of these circumstances. And as a result of this silence, incorrect concepts of Christianity dominate.... In spite of the spiritual chains and social barriers, the Word of God will continue. We pray for the Syrian people and the Church in Syria, that God will truly draw them near to Himself." 

Genocide in Syria?

A Syrian protester gestures victory signs behind their
 national flag as they shout slogans calling for Syria's
 President Bashar al-Assad to step down during a protest
 in front of the Syrian embassy in Amman April 17, 2011.
 UPI 

Syria (MNN) ― The U.N. human rights chief Monday urged that Syria's dictator Bashar al-Assad be referred to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, according to NBC news.

Dozens of nations have called for Assad to end violence or to step down. As violence continues to rattle Syria, it's becoming clearer and clearer that a transition away from Assad's regime will need to be made one, way or another.

"We can't see the future to know how this transition is going to take place--although it does seem inevitable that there will be some sort of transition at some point," agrees Todd Nettleton with Voice of the Martyrs.

But what will such a transition mean for Christians? Throughout the rebellion in Syria, Mission Network News has reported repeatedly on the relative peace Christians have experienced. As violence has been redirected to others, Christians have not been so hunted. Most cannot support Assad's regime but are fearful of what will happen when he falls, says Tom Doyle with E3 Partners.

"What our contacts in Syria are saying is that they are concerned about a potential of a backlash against the church and against Christians, in particular, if an Islamic-leaning group becomes the head of the country," explains Nettleton. "They worry what that will mean for religious freedom."

Catholic bishops have gone as far as to suggest that an all-out genocide could easily take place, reports the New American.

Why the backlash against Christians? "They are seen by the masses as having been aligned with Assad, maybe even protected by Assad," Nettleton explains. "So, anger at the Assad regime becomes anger at Christians."

Nettleton says the word "genocide" may be too strong for what may take place. He says the response toward Syrian Christians depends largely on the outcome of the Assad regime. If it's a violent end where extremists take over, says Nettleton, it doesn't bode well for Christians. If it's a more peaceful transition, Christians may stand a chance at relative freedom.

With so much of the future unknown, Christians are going about their lives responding to God's call. The Syrian church has breached denominational lines in unity throughout this conflict, says Nettleton, which has helped sustain the nation's massive hunger for the Gospel.

"One of the statements that our contact made was, ‘Hey, you can start a house church in a day if you just go out and start talking to people and presenting the Gospel.' There's so much openness to the Gospel message right now."

Pray for hearts to remain open no matter what lies ahead.