SAT-7's Grave Concern For Iraq's Christians and Other Minorities
August 2014SAT-7 CEO, Dr Terence Ascott, today voiced the broadcaster’s grave concern for religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq following the latest surge by Islamic State (formerly ISIS) fighters in the country’s north. Most of the 50,000 population of Iraq’s largest Christian city, Qaraqosh, fled after the advance on Wednesday night. Christian refugees previously sought refuge in the town and smaller […]
How to pray when the world is in crisis
July 2014Alexandra Lilley, a curate in East London, asks how do we pray in the face of continuous heart-rending news reports, like those coming from Gaza, Iraq and the Ukraine? How do you pray for Gaza? I usually rouse from sleep, in my rumpled sheets, with John Humphries or Evan Davies. Exactly what I promised as a child to my parents, […]
How to rescue the persecuted without putting others in more danger
July 2014Article 5 in our series: The Ethics of Global Engagement International pressure secured the safe release of Meriam Ibrahim when she faced the death penalty in Sudan for her faith. But mishandled public campaigns on behalf of persecuted Christians can cause more harm than good. A Middle East writer outlines the pitfalls to avoid. We all followed the distressing trial […]
Testimonies that build the hearer but break the teller
June 2014Article 4 in our series: The Ethics of Global Engagement Asking a believer from a non-Christian background to share their experience of God brings a responsibility, says a Middle East writer: to let them tell their story honestly, and to support them in their ongoing discipleship. All too often that isn’t what happens… When I first became a Christian from […]
Relating to people of other faiths
May 2014Article 3 in our series: The Ethics of Global Engagement Five things to avoid in our witness to people of other faiths. A Middle East Christian advises us. The world has gotten smaller. People of other faiths who used to live in faraway places now live next door to us. Ease of transport means more than ever that many of […]
Watch your footprint – short-term overseas visits
March 2014Article 2 in our series: The Ethics of Global Engagement Short-term opportunities to be part of Christian projects abroad have multiplied in recent years. If carefully considered, they can be hugely beneficial. If not, they can leave damaging footprints on the Church and its community in sensitive countries. Our Middle East writer explains. What lasting impression will our trip leave […]
Relating to the persecuted Church
January 2014Article 1 in a new series: The Ethics of Global Engagement A Middle East contributor highlights some of the issues we need to be mindful of as we engage with the church in the Middle East and North Africa. The Body of Christ is not simply a local church that meets on Sundays, but a global body of all those […]
Celebrating Christmas in Iran
December 2013An arduous journey and close surveillance faced the wise men who came seeking the birth of Jesus. Traditionally thought to be Persians, their challenges are echoed in the monitoring and risks faced by Iranians who celebrate Christ’s birth today. Everyone who has ever watched or taken part in a Nativity play knows that some of the first people to recognise […]