Damascus Road

Christianity is the religion that faces the most persecution around the world. That was the message David Cameron gave to church leaders at his Easter reception in Downing Street earlier this month. ‘We should,’ he added, ‘stand up against persecution of Christians and other religious groups wherever and whenever we can.’

Earlier this month, after the killing of a Dutch priest in Homs, 'Time' magazine focused on the choices and compromises faced by Christians in war-ravaged Syria. In Raqqa, 'Time' reports, Christians are having to choose between paying hard-to-find protection money to be allowed to practise their faith or facing the consequences.

‘Many of Raqqa’s 3,000 Christians had already fled the fighting, leaving just a few families in a place suddenly run by a group [ISIS] known for its violent tactics… including beheadings and floggings - tactics so ruthless that even al-Qaeda has disowned the group,’ it says.

Syria is not the only homeland from which Christians are being displaced. Years of bloodshed in the Holy Land - Israel, Gaza and the West Bank - have resulted in an exodus of beleaguered Christians.

Today, Egypt is home to eight million Christians. Numbers do not mean safety. In the turbulence of uprisings, they are caught between protective dictatorship and democratic intolerance.

Commenting on the historic alliance between the Coptic Church and the Egyptian military, 'Time' quotes Christian columnist Theresa Moussa, who says: ‘Our strength can only come from a state that respects our rights and the rights of everyone else - women, Christians and Muslims - equally.’

Globally or locally, corporately or personally, in the harshness of persecution or from the soft seat of observation, this truth remains: to follow Jesus means putting the needs of others before our own.

UK & Ireland War Cry 26 April 2014