By Stoyan Zaimov, Christian Post
(PHOTO: REUTERS/AHMED JADALLAH) Displaced Iraqi Christians who fled from Islamic State militants in Mosul, pray at a school acting as a refugee camp in Erbil, Sept. 6, 2014.
Christians are being urged to come together on the International Day of Prayer for the persecuted church on Sunday, with persecution watchdog group Open Doors noting that hostilities against believers this year have reached unprecedented levels in modern times.
Open Doors CEO and president David Curry told The Christian Post on Wednesday that his organization is hosting live webcasts on both Saturday and Sunday, where people can interact and pray with persecuted believers, and listen to expert commentary on the crisis.
He said that the rising tide of violence against Christians has reached unprecedented levels for modern times, particularly with the rise of terror group ISIS in Iraq and Syria, but also in the continued persecution and denial of freedom for followers of Christ in oppressive regimes like Saudi Arabia.
Below is an edited version of Curry’s interview with CP:
CP: What is the importance of the International Day of Prayer for the persecuted church, and what will the webcasts offer?
Curry: I think it’s important considering all that has happened in the last year, from Iraq to Syria, to the issues of persecution in North Korea; that we have a time here in America to come together and pray as one body of believers for the people who are part of our family, who are persecuted. And so we are organizing the International Day of Prayer this weekend, and we are having a simulcast event where people can take part and pray, interview and talk with persecuted believers, just to rally our family around this idea that we want everybody to have the freedom to study the words of Jesus and decide for themselves if He really said who He said that He was.
We have two simulcasts — for anyone who wants on Saturday, at 5 p.m. PT (8 p.m. EST), people can come in and hear from persecuted believers. There’s going to be stories, we’re going to interact on Facebook and Twitter, where people can ask questions. We’ll have a man from Iran who’s been imprisoned for his faith, tortured for his faith — he’s going to be there answering questions. It’s just going to be an interactive time to pray with persecuted believers, and have them pray for us.
And then on Sunday, on the actual day for the persecuted church, we’ll have prayer and interviews with persecuted believers at 4 p.m. PT (7 p.m. EST) — just for one hour on Sunday to share, and come together as the body of Christ.
Read the rest of the interview
To sign up for the live interactive webcasts, click here