Common Ground Christian Network
This statement of solidarity with persecuted Christians around the world was approved by the Common Ground Christian Network on March 10, 2015.
As members of the one Body of Christ, and knowing that we are exhorted by Holy Scriptures to do good to all, especially to those of the household of faith, (Galatians 6: 10) the Common Ground Christian Network, a coalition of Christians standing together for the cause of Christ, declares its solidarity with Christians around the world, persecuted for the sake of the Gospel.
When one part of the Body suffers, every part suffers with it (1 Corinthians 12: 26). We grieve for the persecution of Christians everywhere, and especially of fellow believers who are threatened with cultural cleansing and genocide at this very moment:
- Middle Eastern Christians – forced to flee their ancestral homes and watch the eradication of their very identity – men, women, and children who are being tortured, enslaved, and slaughtered by ISIS as it works for the expansion of an Islamic Caliphate;
- Northern Nigerian Christians – under constant threat by Boko Haram – whose villages are attacked and burned, displacing hundreds of thousands, and whose churches are bombed, men slaughtered, and girls taken as slaves; and
- Christians in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile State – targeted for destruction by their own government – forced by the Islamic Republic of Sudan’s constant aerial bombardment and attacks by militias to flee as refugees, or to hide in caves or bush, facing government-orchestrated starvation.
We denounce the evil that destroys life and wages war against Christ and His Church, and we denounce the apathy and passivity that allow it to perpetuate. We commit to intentional, sustained prayer, waging spiritual warfare against this evil. We will speak out on behalf of those whose voices have been silenced or sidetracked. And we will take action on their behalf through organizations providing direct aid, and in our churches, communities and government.
Press contact: Jessica Lalley jlalley@layman.org 404-273-4968