November 24, 1999

How to help the persecuted church
___FORT WORTH (BP)--Paul Marshall listed five ways churches in America can be more involved in helping the persecuted church:
___ Be informed and pray constantly. The Internet can keep people stay informed of the world situation, he said, noting, "No church should ever meet for congregational worship without praying for the persecuted church."
___ Make contacts within the persecuted church. "We can go there. ... We can know them, and they will change our lives."
___ Publicize the plight of the persecuted church. He commended non-Christians Michael Horowitz and Abe Rosenthal who have "done more than any Christian" to draw attention to the issue.
___ Pressure the U.S. government to take action. Last fall, with a 98 to 0 vote, the Senate passed the International Religious Freedom Act.
___ Include the entire church, not just the church in America, in a definition of the body of Christ. "When we use the term 'church,' what's the image that comes to our mind? The first response should be, 'I am a member of these people we've talked about in Vietnam or Ethiopia or Nigeria or in Romania.'"

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