Christians are persecuted around the world for their faith. "Today there is more persecution than during the days of the Iron Curtain," adds Open Doors’ International Director Johan Companjen in the upcoming June issue of ‘Uitdaging’ (Challenge), an influential Dutch evangelical newspaper.
In an article sent to BosNewsLife in advance of distribution, Companjen claims that despite
wide spread persecution his organization distributed "15 percent" more Christian publications
and trained three percent more people in 2004, than the year before.
"NOT EASY"
Open Doors says in a statement reported by Uitdaging that it hopes to "increase the results"
in 2005 when it celebrates its 50th anniversary. "That will not be easy, but we saw already a huge jump in 2004."
Since it began in 1955, Open Doors has focused on bringing Bibles to "closed countries" as well as training and aid. In 2004, Open Doors says, it delivered almost 4,4 million Bibles,
children Bibles, study Bibles and other books to persecuted Christians worldwide.
The organization claims that since 1993, it also distributed over 1,3 million Chinese children Bibles. Over 124,000 church leaders received a variety of trainings last year. The third division of Open Doors, social aid, grew with 30 percent, according to official estimates.
HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT
It includes giving marginalized Christians a chance to learn to read, to study, or to receive a credit for work projects. Open Doors has noticed that Christians are especially suffering in countries with high unemployment and poverty, Uitdaging reports.
"More than 200 million Christians suffer for their faith," the organization said earlier in a statement monitiored by BosNewsLife. "Open Doors will continue to go where faith costs the most, to equip and encourage Christians who are being persecuted." The founder of Open Doors, Dutchman Anne van der Bijl, known as Brother Andrew, has reportedly said he feels "passionately" that the rapid spread of Islam could be "the greatest challenge that Open Doors and Christians have yet faced."
His ministry has taken him into regular meetings with Middle East leaders, and also with various armed groups in Latin America. He has also broken down denominational barriers by preaching in Catholic and Coptic Orthodox churches, Open Doors says. (With BosNewsLife Research and reports from the Netherlands).
