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Persecution in the Horn of Africa

The ranks of persecuted Christians continues to grow. But so does the size of the church – especially in the horn of Africa.

The early church theologian, Tertullian, famously said that “the blood of martyrs is the seed of the church.” He meant that the number of Christians seems to increase when persecution escalates.

Tertullian’s quip is true of the horn of Africa. The horn includes nations like Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti. Christians in this part of the world are likely persecuted more often and more severely than in any other region. And yet the church is growing fastest in the horn of Africa.

Of course, Christians everywhere endure persecution – in some way, to some degree, at some time.  Jesus told his followers to expect persecution. But the persecution that Christians endure varies.

Persecution in the West varies from the typical persecution of Christians in the Horn of Africa.  The forms of persecution also differ in the horn of Africa itself. My recent trip to that area made it possible for me to talk to Christian leaders and laity about the persecution they experience and see around them.

In some contexts, Christians are persecuted because they represent a threat to the establishment. In communities in which animist religions hold sway, persecution is often social.  Christians who do not participate in animist ceremonies are ostracized.  In close-knit, rural contexts, being ostracized is sometimes more injurious that physical persecution. 

In other parts of the horn of Africa – especially in Muslim contexts -- Christian beliefs become the primary reason for persecution. And in these contexts, persecution is often physical: shootings, beheadings, and other forms of maiming and murder. Occasionally, Christians are sometimes chained and given public beatings. Some are stoned. Christians have been known to have their tongues cut off for saying the word “Jesus.”

One Church of the Nazarene leader – Mansur Mohamed – converted from Islam. His conversion became known, and he was recently beheaded with a knife.  His murderers recorded the ghastly act on their cell/mobile phones.  They distributed the video recording to those living in the area as a tactic to intimidate Muslims not to oppose radical Islam. 

The beheading video can now be found on Christian websites meant to document the persecution in the area of the world.  This video and a list of martyred Christians can be found at www.somalisforjesus.blogspot.com. Those who run the blog are careful to protect the identity of the living who may be persecuted. (A warning for those who want to see the clip: this beheading was extremely difficult for me to watch. I wanted to vomit when I saw the beheading.)

Sadly, persecution takes the form of Christian hostility toward other Christians. Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia, for instance, actively harass Evangelical Christians. Ethiopian Orthodox Christians persecute those who join other Christian groups mostly for what such joining means politically. Those with power do not want to see that power wane.

Christian-on-Christian persecution in this region often takes social, economic, and psychological forms. Non-Ethiopian Orthodox churches are burned. Evangelical Christians must meet secretly to worship and fellowship.  They often gather under the guise of meeting for a secular event: birthday celebrations, weddings, cultural celebrations. This practice prevents neighbors from suspecting that Christians are gathering in the name of Christ.

Because some Christians have left the Orthodox tradition, they are not allowed to bury their dead at community gravesites. Some are fired from their jobs. My own guide to the Orthodox rock churches in Lalibela only whispered to me about his faith fearing others would hear him and he would lose his employment.

Family members of those who have joined other Christian denominations are ridiculed for allowing their kin to leave Orthodoxy. Their children are not offered opportunities to make a good life for themselves.

Physical, social, and political persecution creates psychological damage.  The lack of community and social relationships in the horn of Africa tends those who convert to Christianity to exhibit signs of mental instability. Fertility often disappears. Work ethic declines. Christians battle depression and listlessness.

Interestingly, persecuted Evangelicals in the Horn of Africa often reside in the middle classes.  A large number are among the best educated in that part of the world. It is common for the persecuted Christians to be doctors, teachers, professors, government workers, and business people.

21^st century Evangelicals in the horn of Africa are also different in their use of technology for the sake of the gospel. Technology – especially cell/mobile phones – is crucial for the survival and growth.  In remote regions of the area, cell/mobile phones bounce from satellites. Even in isolated villages, it is common for Christians leaders to have cell/mobile phones.

During my stay in Ethiopia, Church of the Nazarene field strategy coordinator, Ermias Choliye, spent more time contacting leaders and organizing the expanding movement than doing anything else. His strategy of growth involves several principles that technology helps him follow as he leads.

Choliye decentralizes the movement by empowering local pastors and the house churches they lead. A key tool in this decentralization is his use of a cell/mobile phone. He can contact the underground churches that meet secretly by talking with the house church pastors.

Of course, technology also carries dangers.  For this article, I cannot mention any Evangelical Christian’s name in the region – except for Choliye’s.  I cannot show you photos of Christians I met while visiting there.  I cannot disclose names and photos, because this article can be easily scanned and sent instantly to remote places where Christians are in potential danger. Those who intend to persecute Christians could download electronic copies of this article on their cell/mobile phones.

The danger of persecution and church growth often rise or fall together. But it is not that persecution itself is the engine that powers church growth.  Rather, the conditions for growth often include change, chaos, and instability. And persecution more easily occurs in chaotic and unstable societies.

In addition to prayer, we can help persecuted Christians in the horn of Africa. They need literature, transportation, and leadership development.  We can make micro-loans and small gifts to help Christians start small businesses that provide an income. Ministry to women is especially needed.  See the Partners for the Horn of Africa for more information on what help is needed: http://www.hoanazarene.org

(A significantly different version of this blog has appeared in other publications.)

Posted in 2009 under ...and the Kitchen Sink

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