American Christians know little of worldwide persecution

by Chris Woodward

According to Open Doors USA, at least 100 million Christians worldwide are being persecuted for their faith. In America, 125 million Christians claim to attend church on a weekly basis. However, Emily Fuentes with Open Doors USA says it’s amazing how many Christians in the U.S. aren’t aware of the global persecution of Christians.

“They don’t know how extreme the persecution is either,” she continues. “So we have lots of different fact sheets and resources that churches and small groups can use to educate those around them.”

Open Doors also has an advocacy program, providing different opportunities to either present briefings or contact members of Congress about issues and bills that arise.

“Whenever we have a campaign or opportunity, we really encourage people to hop on our website and take a look at those advocacy efforts,” she tells OneNewsNow.

According to the new World Watch List from Open Doors, most persecution occurs in the Middle East and Africa.

“A couple of years ago, barely any countries in Africa made it on to the World Watch List,” she adds. “There were a few, but primarily it was a continent that was experiencing minimal persecution.

“Now there has been a significant increase, not only in the African countries on the World Watch List, but in how many of those countries have moved up on the list this year,” concludes Fuentes.