Subtitle: Part 1 – Defining and Offering Statistics on Worldwide Persecution 

Excerpt: Part 1 – Defining and Offering Statistics on Worldwide Persecution 

Author: Jeff Hilles

Our American Biblical Christian worldview may differ from those around us in areas such as salvation, eternity, abortion, or marriage. We may be unfairly associated with MAGA, called a Christian National, or even a fascist. Sadly, westerners may be fearful of sharing the Good News with those who might reject our advances, even call us names behind our backs. American Christians see all this as uncomfortable, and so we are tempted to keep our views to ourselves in the interests of “loving our neighbor” and not wanting to offend. We choose Lifestyle Evangelism, (caring for people) as an example to others so that perhaps, someday, sometime, we will be asked about the hope we have in Jesus Christ. 

True “persecution” is more than an uncomfortable conversation. 

 It is about the risks of sharing one’s faith by those Christians who potentially will experience expulsion from their families, imprisonment, oppression, torture, and possible death. Yet they remain willing to put themselves in peril… worshiping and serving God in places that most of us would find terrifying. 

This is a series on how God uses persecution to build and multiply the faith of fearless believers outside of the protective envelope of Western civilization. It is broken down into three parts

• Part 1 – Defining and broadly documenting statistics on persecution, 
• Part 2 – Physical Persecution and Its Impact on the Growth of Christianity, and 
• Part 3 – Offering insight into the underlying assumptions of how evangelism takes place amid persecution.

Part 1 – Defining and Offering Statistics on Worldwide Persecution 

Defining the Term Persecution

The following are four secular definitions of persecution…

• Webster – “to harass or punish in a manner designed to injure, grieve, or afflict”
• Cambridge – “to treat someone unfairly or cruelly over a long period of time because of their race, religion, or political beliefs, or to annoy someone by refusing to leave them alone”,
• Dictionary.com – “to pursue with harassing or oppressive treatment, especially because of religious or political beliefs, ethnic or racial origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation”, and finally,
• Oxford – “to treat somebody in a cruel and unfair way, especially because of their race, religion or political beliefs.”

Biblical Commentaries offer some further insight… 

• Holman – “Harassment and suffering which people and institutions inflict upon others for being different in their faith, world view, culture, or race. Persecution seeks to intimidate, silence, punish, or even to kill people.”
• Lexham – “Mistreatment of a person or group on the basis of ethnicity, nationality, race, religion, or beliefs.”

Note the nuanced differences between the secular and Biblical definitions of persecution. The secular definitions seem to suggest more of an Americanized view of being “unfairly” treated and “harassed”, often based on race, gender, identity, religion, or political views. In contrast, Biblical commentaries offer a definition that emphasizes a more physical “punishment”, “suffering”, or even “death”. Over the course of this three-part series, we will try to answer the questions… 

• Is the Western definition of persecution different than the 3^rd world definition? 
• Should we, as Christians, desire to avoid persecution, seek it, or just accept it? 
• Is Christian persecution physical, mental, or both?

What Does the Bible Say about Persecution

The following are applicable Bible verses on persecution.

Luke 6:22 & Matthew 5:10-12 – “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

It would initially seem like persecution is limited to verbal abuse when one “utter[s] all kinds of evil against you”.

James 5:10-11a – As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job…

Of course, using Job as an example of persecution certainly injects severe trials, physical, mental, and spiritual into the equation. 

1 Peter 4:12 – Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

Peter also expressed “fiery trial[s]” as a form of testing as well. And then there is the example of Paul who offered an insight into physical trials throughout most of his ministry.

2 Tim. 3:10-11 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.

Acts 14:19 But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. 

Acts 16:22-23 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely.

2 Cor. 11:23-28 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 

Acts 8:1 – And Saul [Paul] approved of his [Stephen’s stoned] execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Finally, there is Biblical insight into the expectation that persecution is something we should be prepared to tolerate, and even desire, as Christians. 

1 Peter 4:16 – Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.

2 Timothy 3:12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

Are any of us in the developed world “suffering” because we are Christians? Perhaps yes, based on secular definitions, but not in terms of Biblical definitions. 

Statistics on Physical Persecution in the World Today

US Commission on International Religious Freedom

Reporting in late December of 2023 (details here and here), the government published its annual report on the state of worldwide religious freedom. Below are some highlights from their analysis.

• “One in four nations (46 in total) restrict the right of its people to either adopt or propagate a religion.” This includes 73 separate laws on the books restricting religion
• “In countries with anti-conversation laws, religious minorities tend to be broadly targeted for harassment, assault, arrest, and imprisonment.” Just a few examples include:
  • Pastor in Nepal sentenced to 1yr in prison for attempting to convert Hindus to Christianity.
  • 9 Christians were arrested in India for evangelizing the poor.
  • Last summer in Iran, 106 Christians were arrested for their religious beliefs.
  • Last spring in Libya, an American Christian was arrested for missionary activity.
• Four categories of restrictive laws: 
  • Anti-proselytizing laws – 29 nations including Indonesia, Israel, Russia
  • Interfaith marriage restrictions – 25 nations including Jordan, Philippines, Singapore
  • Government conversion documentation laws – 7 nations including Iraq, Malaysia, Turkey
  • Conversion is illegal – 7 nations including Saudi Arabia, Yemen (death)

International Christian Concern 2023 Persecutors of the Year Report

Publishing their annual report in November of 2023, (details here) the following is some commentary on worldwide persecution.

• There are “200-300 million persecuted Christians worldwide.”
• In Pakistan, “5k mob of radical Muslims destroyed 24 churches and hundreds of homes in an enclave of Christians”
• In Nigeria “Millions of Christians have suffered attacks from radical Muslims… may be as high as a million deaths and a loss of 3.5mil farms over the last 20 years.”

Worst Countries for Persecution

Statista, a portal for broad-based stats, (details here) which draws data from reputable peer-reviewed sources worldwide, published a list of countries with the highest level of Christian persecution. In order from the worst, they listed: Afghanistan, North Korea, Somalia, Libya, and Yemen.

Congressional Hearing on Worldwide Religious Freedom

In October of 2023, Congress held a hearing on the subject of religious freedom (details here). Some of the results from that review included: 

• There are approximately 360 million Christians globally “experiencing high levels of persecution or discrimination just for their belief.”
• Nigeria – “Groups have carried out massacres of entire towns and villages and have murdered, raped, tortured, and kidnapped Christians simply for being followers of Christ.”
• “Sadly, 80% of the world’s inhabitants live in countries where there are high levels of governmental or societal restrictions on religion,”

Conclusion

Real physical, Biblical persecution is happening today; it is just not happening in our American neighborhoods. Part 2 of this series will offer more specifics on what 3^rd World persecution looks like and how it is impacting the growth of Christianity.