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list of nations opposed to the gospel in the Voice of the Martyrs prayer guide is expanded

Published by victor caleb on January 21st, 2023.

Oklahoma’s BARTLESVILLE – The list of “hostile” countries where Christians are frequently persecuted for their faith despite government efforts to protect them is increased by four in the Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) 2023 Prayer Guide.

VOM said in releasing its prayer guide for persecuted Christians that the African nations of Benin, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mozambique, and Niger join 19 other countries around the world where Christians are routinely persecuted by family, neighbors, and/or extremist groups.

According to Todd Nettleton, a VOM spokesperson, “the ongoing spread of radical Islam on the African continent is increasing the daily danger for our Christian brothers and sisters there.” “Prayer is the first thing that Christians in free countries are requested to do for persecuted Christians.

Every Christian can be prepared to pray with a true understanding of the needs and specific ways to pray thanks to this recently updated VOM Global Prayer Guide.

Along with the 23 countries labeled as hostile, the prayer guide from VOM lists 41 countries as “restricted,” where Christians endure both governmental and social persecution.

The prayer guide, a free tool accessible here, gives detailed information about the situation of persecuted Christians in designated countries, enabling Christians to pray for relevant issues that are important to them.

Every Christian should keep a copy of the VOM Global Prayer Guide next to their Bible or in their prayer closet so they are constantly reminded to pray for their brothers and sisters, according to Nettleton.

To encourage prayer for Christians in countries where radical Islam is fueling an increase in persecution, VOM added more countries to its list of adversaries.

Christianity is viewed as a threat to traditional beliefs in Benin’s northern regions, which, according to VOM, is where voodoo is thought to have originated. Thirty percent of the 13 million people who live in this west African nation identify as Christians, with 8% being evangelical, according to VOM.

According to a press release from VOM, Islamic groups “severely persecute” Christians in the DRC by “raiding villages, destroying churches, and brutally killing hundreds of believers.”

An Islamic insurgency that started in 2019 and “continues to create chaos and instability in the northern province of Cabo Del Gado” is plaguing the 31 million-person country of Mozambique in eastern Africa, according to VOM.

With a population of about 26 million and a majority Muslim population, the west African nation of Niger is increasingly the target of attacks from radical Islamists in its neighboring nations, including Mali, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria, according to VOM.

The guide also lists the following countries as hostile: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Colombia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Israel, including the West Bank and Gaza, Kenya, Lebanon, Mali, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, Mexico (Southern), Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and Uganda. The four new hostile nations have been added to the list.

Since 1997, VOM has included the populations of hostile and repressive nations as those for whom Christians should pray in its annual prayer guide.

China, Comoros, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, Myanmar (Burma), North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Yemen are among the countries that are restricted

The new VOM app, which offers daily prayer prompts, and the website icommittopray.com, which sends out a weekly email of prayer requests and lets Christians post specific prayers online, are among the additional prayer resources offered by VOM. VOM is a nonprofit, interdenominational missions organization that assists persecuted Christians in some of the most challenging and dangerous regions of the world. It was established in 1967 by the late Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand.