Just as the State Department has released an annual reminder that international religious freedom is "still not respected for millions of people around the world," Jeff King of International Christian Concern (ICC) says persecution will always take a back seat to other geopolitical concerns that lead in relations between governments, but believers "absolutely have to pay attention."
"Pew Research Center recently found that government restrictions on religion had reached their highest global level since tracking began back in 2007," the report notes. "Today, governments around the world continue to target individuals, shutter places of worship, forcibly displace communities, and imprison people because of their religious beliefs."
In some instances, the State Department says governments are reaching beyond their own borders to target individuals because of their faith and their advocacy for religious freedom.
"In every region, people continue to face religious-based violence, religious-based discrimination, both from governments and their fellow citizens," the report continues. "They may be shut out of schools, denied jobs, harassed, beaten, or worse."
Christians are among those treated harshly for their faith, and King says believers should respond to their needs in faith.
"The Lord always wants us to stand up for the oppressed," he asserts. "When you start following the persecuted Church, you're going to grow so much. You see Christianity as it should be. So, there's a real positive feedback loop that people really kind of get bitten by the bug when they follow the persecuted, because these people are just amazing."
King adds that ICC is honored to have been cited in the 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom.
