November 13, 2000
Day of prayer put face on world's religious persecution
___By Shelvia Dancey
___Religion News Service
___WASHINGTON (RNS)--Oswaldo Magdangal gradually had grown accustomed to his 3-by-4-foot prison cell and the constant presence of armed Saudi Arabian prison guards outside.
___More than two months had passed since the country's religious police raided his home hunting for Bibles, Christian videotapes and anything else that would link the Filipino federal employee to the Christian ministry, banned in a nation where Islam is the official state religion.
___The police found what they wanted. Magdangal had not attempted to hide any traces of his 11-year double life as a missionary in the Muslim nation and minister of a secret Christian church.
___Alone in his cell, he steeled himself for the fate decreed by Saudi Arabian officials--death by public hanging.
___But then the letters began to arrive. Thousands of them. From the Philippines, England, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Italy, the U.S. Congress. Letters that convinced Magdangal he was not forgotten. Letters that persuaded King Fahd to set him free--the day before his execution.
___"Had it not been for appeals from the international community, I would be in heaven right now," said Magdangal, who after he was released in 1992 established Christians in Crisis to boost awareness about the plight of persecuted Christians. "I completely believe that appeals made all the difference in my case. I would be dead without it."
___Christians worldwide were counting on the strength of such appeals to push the issue of Christian oppression center stage on Nov. 12, the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.
___An estimated 200 million Christians around the world face persecution. A report released by the U.S. State Department in September paints a dreary portrait of their plight: Imprisonment in Greece; forcible conversions to Buddhism in Burma; abductions in Sudan; churches bombed in India.
___"A lot of churches in America don't know about all the persecution Christians face, so when I talk to them it's a real eye-opener," said Magdangal, who said he endured brutal beatings and torture while in prison. "Seeing me in person brings home the message that there is a need out there that is more real than they thought."
___"We need to be aware that America is not the only place where people are trying to honor the name of Christ," said Doug Christgau, pastor of cross-cultural ministries at Wheaton Bible Church in Wheaton, Ill. "It's very easy for us to forget what's going on in the rest of the world."
___Which is why Christgau marks the day at his church by inviting persecuted Christians to tell their stories to his 2,000-member congregation, as do dozens of other congregations.
___Bibles are prized commodities in many of the countries from which speakers arrive, said Connie Reitsma, associate director of project development at the Bible League. The organization is one of many observing the day by distributing Bibles to oppressed Christians.
___"People have no idea how precious the (Bible) is to an individual who has never had their own copy before," said Reitsma. "Putting Bibles in their hands is a big part of helping people sustain their faith."
___On behalf of oppressed Christians in Indonesia, members of the New Life Community Church in Arizona have launched a letter-writing campaign to Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid. The congregation hopes the 200 signatures collected will help persuade Wahid to put an end to more than a year of fighting between Christians and Muslims in the country's eastern Maluku islands. An estimated 4,000 people--both Christians and Muslims--have been killed in the violence.
___"We're doing this to say to the president that people halfway around the world have heard about this and want him to go help the people who share our faith," said John Tuitele, chairman of the church's ministry for the persecuted church and a board member of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. His organization is among several agencies, including Voice of the Martyrs and International Christian Concern, that help promote the day.
___New Life Community Church is also giving congregants prayer cards. Each card features the name and picture of a persecuted Christian and describes his or her situation.
___A similar effort, only in calendar format, is being conducted by the aid agency Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
___"Each date lists the name of a persecuted Christian and the details of his or her situation," said Diana Lengkeek, executive director of Christian Solidarity Worldwide (USA). "One of the requests we get from people who are being persecuted in their home country is that they don't want to be forgotten. This way they are being remembered and prayed for. That means a lot."
___In youth groups and across college campuses, the Christian aid agency Open Doors With Brother Andrew encouraged young people to mark the day by simulating the experiences of a persecuted Christian.
___"Students get to role-play what it's like to be a Christian trying to get to a church meeting in a country like Cuba or Vietnam," said Terry Madison, president of the organization, which has also helped create resource manuals for Christian bookstores and college campuses. "The students have to sneak to a Bible study class somewhere on campus without getting caught by students pretending to be security forces trying to stop them."
___Christians who work to help their persecuted colleagues often find out the benefits "aren't a one-way exchange," Tuitele said.
___"These people teach us about faith and trust in God," he said. "They challenge us to be strong because if they can stay the course in the face of opposition, then how can we not be serious about our own faith? They have a faith that holds up when it's tested."
Get printer-friendly version of this story
Send this story to a friend
Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!