“How many Christians are killed for their faith each year?” If the question comes up at all, it is generally asked from idle curiosity. Most assume the figure to be negligible – a handful of situations that simply got out of hand. Martyrdom is an anachronism, suggesting another day and age.
THE VOICE OF THE MARTYRS, which serves the persecuted church worldwide, knows better. This is an excerpt from an article titled “The Limits of Statistics” posted April 4, 2009. The full article may be found at http://persecutedchurch.blogspot.com/2009/04/limits-of-statistics.html:
“…The persecution facing Christians is the largest ‘human rights’ violation issue in today’s world. However, it is impossible to know with absolute certainty the exact number of Christians who are killed each year for their faith.
According to the World Evangelical Alliance, over 200 million Christians in at least 60 countries are denied fundamental human rights solely because of their faith. David B. Barrett, Todd M. Johnson, and Peter F. Crossing in their 2009 report in the International Bulletin of Missionary Research (Vol. 33, No. 1: 32) estimate that approximately 176,000 Christians will have been martyred from mid-2008 to mid-2009…If current trends continue, Barrett, Johnson and Crossing estimate that by 2025, an average of 210,000 Christians will be martyred annually…
Queries to the researchers have shown that these figures are…projected averages or statistical guesses rather than based on hard figures or actual documentation…
The fact is, despite our modern technology…much of today’s persecution still takes place in remote areas of countries…with restricted access…Most martyrs suffer and die anonymously, unknown, forgotten, their deaths unrecorded except in heaven. Even email, which most of us consider a basic everyday tool is a struggle to use in places like Ethiopia, Burma, and much of central Africa…Much goes unreported or is reported months, even years later. For many, persecution is such a part of life that it hardly dawns on the afflicted to tell the world. Many are nervous about sharing what they know for fear of retribution…
In short…persecution, by its very nature, defies being statistically analyzed with any degree of certitude…If statistics play any role…the large numbers tend to overwhelm, leaving one with a sense of hopelessness in actually being able to make much of a difference. That’s why we at THE VOICE OF THE MARTYRS would rather focus on the people involved. Putting faces on the figures and stories on the statistics.”
Please, keep our persecuted brothers and sisters in prayer. God knows their names, even if we do not.
