Religious persecution impacts every faith somewhere in the world. Be it China’s broad oppression of Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists and Christians, or Boko Haram attacking churches and killing congregants, religious persecution is a daily reality for millions of people. The problem is enormous. What can we do from Dallas?
On October 20 and 21, a unique gathering at Dallas Baptist University will attempt to answer this question, discussing how Christians can pray and advocate for anyone facing religious persecution. We want to inspire the church to action — first, to remember our own brothers and sisters suffering for Jesus Christ, but also their non-Christian neighbors who suffer, too. We do this because we believe in human dignity, and we want to demonstrate love of neighbor, as Christ instructed in the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
The global situation is bleak. While our domestic religious liberty battles continue in the courts, religious persecution outside of the United States is violent and oppressive. Torture, beatings, mob assaults, jailings, murder and genocide are widespread. The Pew Research Center reports that roughly two out of three people on Earth live in countries restricting religious freedom. It’s an astounding statistic that demands a response.
Thankfully, these examples of persecution are far away. But we cannot ignore the millions suffering for their faith. If left unattended, religious persecution will foster extremism, terrorism and migration on a massive scale, issues that impact America’s safety and security, not to mention the ability of Christians to practice their faith in other parts of the world.
Opinion
At the DBU gathering, pastors from Texas and advocacy experts from around the world will share their motivation as Christians to advocate for all. We will hear directly from representatives of persecuted communities: Christians in Turkey and Nigeria, Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan and Hazara Shia Muslims in Afghanistan. And most importantly, we will pray that God would protect each community and plan ways to advocate for their religious freedoms.
Religious freedom for all has been a Baptist distinctive since Roger Williams founded the colony of Rhode Island to provide space where all would be free to pursue truth as their conscience led, without fear of discrimination or violence. The conference, hosted by DBU’s new Center for Global Religious Freedom and the Christians Against All Persecution Network, will continue that tradition.
We believe the church is an untapped powerhouse that could help end religious persecution. If Christians became active in prayer and advocacy for anyone facing persecution, it would change the world. Dallas would be a great place to start this new movement.
Randel Everett is the founding director of the Center for Global Religious Freedom at Dallas Baptist University. He is a retired pastor and former executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Knox Thames is a former U.S. diplomat and founder of Christians Against All Persecution.