The Chairman’s Report for October, 2024

In this issue of the newsletter
New: Christians facing more persecution than ever around the world
New: More attacks on Christians in China, Vietnam, Pakistan and India
New: The election: Is “freedom of warship” really religious freedom?
New: Christmas for Refugees programs in the war zone of Syria and Lebanon

Not just Africa and the Middle East

Christians face persecution around the world

China: Chinese police raided the Sunday worship service of the Early Rain Covenant Church on September 1st in the southwestern city of Chengdu and detained the pastor and three lay leaders.

These arrests mark just one of several raids and arrests of Christians in China this year. The arrests at Early Rain are notable because of the faith of the members and their continued struggle.

Their pastor and the founder of the church, Yang Lee is serving a nine-year prison sentence, and his wife and son have been under house arrest since 2018. He was convicted of “subverting state power”.

In a visit to the United States with religious leaders in 2006, Yang Lee met with President George W. Bush.

In one raid of the Sola Fide or “Justification by Faith” in Xiaotuan village 150 police officers arrived and arrested 200 of the 700 Christian villagers.

Persecution of Christians in China worsened after Xi Jinping took over the Communist Party of China in 2012 and became president of China in 2013.

Vietnam is no different: Vietnam is considered a partner of the United States in “containing China.” The idiots that run our intelligence services believe that the communist government of Vietnam is going to help the United States “contain” the Communist Party of China. Really?

Because our government leaders think the Vietnam communists are buddies, our government highlights Chinese persecution of Muslims in China while ignoring persecution of Christians in Vietnam.

In July, 11 Christians who were jailed for refusing to renounce their faith went missing. The five Catholics and six Protestants were sentenced between 2011 and 2019.

The missing Christians are members of the Montagnard ethnic group in Vietnam’s Central Highlands. The Montagnard people are an indigenous tribal people who have converted to Christianity well before the Vietnam War.

The missing Christians’ families and friends have reason to be concerned about their loved ones’ whereabouts as harvesting organs in Vietnam is as common as in China. A Westerner can obtain a kidney transplant in Vietnam for about $40,000.

There are mysterious disappearances when Christians are taken for questioning. In March Evangelist Y Bum Bya’s body was found hanging from a tree in a cemetery near his home in Buon Ma Thuot District, Dak Lak Province. His body was discovered after he was summoned to a meeting with public security officers, and he did not return.

Several times I have reported on church raids and arrests of Christians in Vietnam.

As president of the Religious Freedom Coalition, I continue to advocate on Capitol Hill for our government to take action to assist persecuted Christians. Unfortunately, “religious freedom” has become just another diplomatic weapon. Countries who are “friends” of the United States are left off the hook for their persecution of Christians.

Pakistan: Pakistan is now considered the 7th most dangerous place for Christians, according to Open Doors.

Entire Christian villages have been attacked and homes burned to the ground over a single accusation that one resident of the village “blasphemed Mohammed.” In May an elderly Christian named Nazir Masih was beaten to death by a Muslim mob in Punjab, Pakistan. A false accusation that he had defiled the Quran had been made.

The Institute on Religion and Democracy reported that the mob looted a shoe shop owned by his son and burned down his home, where twelve family members lived. This was just one of many similar incidents that the police force ignores. No one was arrested.

India, which is majority Hindu is no better than Muslim Pakistan when it comes to treatment of Christians (Unless they are tourists with dollars to spend). In the first 75 days of 2024 there were 161 violent attacks on Christians with no arrests on record.

Many of the Christian villages in Pakistan and India are poverty ridden because Christians are refused work or forced to take manual labor jobs no one else wants.

It is estimated that Christians fill about 80% of the manual sewer cleaning jobs in the whole of Pakistan.

I have prayed about taking our Christmas programs to Pakistan and India. The “Happy Birthday Jesus” programs we have in Nigeria would bring joy and hope to the downtrodden Christian minorities of Pakistan and India …

Not this year! Our Christmas for Refugee programs in Lebanon and Syria may have to be toned down because of a lack of donations. Our fundraising for Christmas is well behind 2023.

The Christmas for Refugees programs are foremost about the spiritual aspects of the celebration of the coming of Jesus, sending out the message. Please pray with me that someday we can take the message of hope through Jesus to children facing persecution because of their families’ beliefs further than the Middle East and Africa.

The Election

I don’t involve the Religious Freedom Coalition in politics other than to advocate for our government to help persecuted Christians.

Many public figures that should stay out of politics, such as Taylor Swift, have made endorsements of one or the other candidate for President. Side note: Does anyone really care who Taylor Swift votes for?

Not only have I advocated for the persecuted Church on Capitol Hill, but I have been directly involved in legislation to protect the rights of Christians in the United States. Some on the left want to change “freedom of religion” to “freedom of worship.” There is a huge difference. I have fought against that concept.

Iran has “freedom to worship.” Christians are free to practice their religious beliefs and worship God inside their churches. Their freedom of speech and press ends when they walk out the door on Sunday morning. That is what many on the left want for Americans as well. Christians would not be allowed to practice the Great Commission or speak publicly about their faith if freedom of religion is interpreted to be “freedom of worship.”

In my decades of work on Capitol Hill I have learned which elections count. School Board elections that Christians mostly ignore are as important as congressional elections. School boards can educate or indoctrinate. We need school boards that educate.

As far as national elections are concerned the Senate is the most important. A president can be totally immoral, but if there is a strong moral leadership in the Senate any President can be held in check.

Important state level elections will be held this year as well. There are eleven governors up for election. Right now, 27 of the 50 governors are Republican and 23 are Democrat. In all 44 states will have some or all of the state house and senate seats up for election as well. There are also lower-level offices that are really important that Christians should be aware of and vote.

I am not referring to just the coming election in November but all future elections as well. Elections have consequences.

This year it is estimated that 40 million evangelical Christians will not vote!

Some Christian voters don’t like either presidential candidate. They should still vote because there are many godly men and women running for other offices at many different levels.

The 40 million evangelicals who don’t normally vote could get rid of the corruption in our system and elect a stronger more moral government if they would go vote.

I am urging Christians to vote for strong morally centered men and women who are running for public office this year.

As a non-profit, The Religious Freedom Coalition is prohibited from making specific endorsements of candidates.

Christmas for Refugees

When the Christmas for Refugees program began, the Islamic State controlled much of northern Iraq where most Iraqi Christians live. Tens of thousands of Christians had been driven from their towns. Some fled to Jordan and many others fled to Ankawa, a majority Christian town next to the Kurdish city of Erbil.

For several years the Christmas for Refugees program was providing aid to large groups of displaced Christians in camps. Over time the program has changed as the refugee situation has changed.

Most Iraqi Christians resettled after the Islamic State was mostly driven out of Iraq. The fighting in Syria continues on many fronts. In the north of Syria Christians have been run off from their homes by Turkish backed militias who are “cleansing” the area of Kurds. Christians have been run out of other areas of Syria controlled by American and Saudi supported Sunni Muslim rebels.

Most of the Christian refugees from the fighting in Syria are in Lebanon while others, who are referred to as “internally displaced” fled to safe government-controlled areas in the south. Regardless of where they are or what they are called they are refugees.

Christmas for Refugees today: Ten years ago, most of the aid Christmas for Refugees delivered was in Iraq. Now our work is almost entirely in Lebanon and Syria with smaller Christmas programs held in Iraq and Jordan.

NOTE: At the time of this writing Israel had begun a large arial operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon dropping sometimes over 1,000 bombs a day. Entire areas of Lebanon where our ministry has operated in the past have been evacuated in anticipation of an Israel invasion to downgrade Hezbollah capacities.

Our ministry partners are reporting that there are large numbers of civilians including Christians being killed or wounded because of the conflict. We have begun to transfer funds to our ministry partners in Lebanon to prepare for Christmas programs. There may have to be last minute changes or cancellations of events, but as of now we plan a full schedule in Lebanon and Syria.

With the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and continued terrorist attacks near our orphanage in Nigeria the Christmas programs are in some flux. Regardless it is my intent to show the love of Jesus to displaced children.

Please pray for the success of the Christmas for Refugees program this year and for the safety of all the children we will reach out to. Please pray for all the Christians of the Middle East, Africa and the rest of the world.