On the final working day of the Bush administration, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice designated eight countries as egregious violators of religious freedom, but waived the possibility of sancti
Persecution
Jim Wallis 6-09-2009
Every so often, I will begin the week with a post about something that I believe deserves further reflection and comment from the God's Politics community.
Julie Clawson 5-06-2009
Mike recently brought to my attention a letter written by Pliny the Younger to the Emperor Trajan written aroun
Cesar Baldelomar 4-03-2009
Jesus, who was a Palestinian Jew living under Roman occupation, preached a message that was anti-state and religious imperialism.
Cathleen Falsani 2-02-2009
Former President Jimmy Carter just published a new book about the ongoing violent unrest in the Middle East titled, We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land: A Plan That Will Work.
Lynne Hybels 11-20-2008
In October I spent a week in Amman, Jordan, listening to Arab Christians from Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon, and Egypt.
Tony Campolo 10-17-2008
In a recent conversation I had about the coming election, a friend reiterated the campaign rhetoric that the "surge" in Iraq has worked, and that Barack Obama ought to admit that John McCain was ri
Eugene Cho 7-21-2008
My great-grandfather was one of the first Christians in a village near Pyongyang. God's grace was poured over his entire family, but they experienced intense persecution because of their faith. As a result, he "escaped" one night with his entire family from what is now known as North [...]
Ivy George 3-01-2002
Christians around the world are being attacked and churches burned to the ground. Is anyone paying attention?
Chris Rice 9-01-2000
My former college, one of the nation’s top-ranked schools, is considering banishing a highly respected national Christian group from campus for discriminatory practices.
Ryan Rodrick Beiler 1-01-2000
The U.S. State Department this fall cited Sudan as potentially subject to economic sanctions under the International Religious Freedom Act for its persecution of Christians and other religious groups.
Richard Cizik 7-01-1998
For three weeks in February 1998, a delegation of U.S. religious leaders made a historic visit to the People’s Republic of China. Selected by President Clinton and invited by President Jiang Zemin, the delegation’s unprecedented mission was to begin a dialogue with top government officials in China on the subject of religious freedom. The delegates said they knew the dangers of such a state-sponsored visit—especially the risk of co-option by their hosts—but felt they were able to voice criticisms, broaden awareness, and introduce a new perspective on religious freedom to many Chinese officials.
Rev. Richard Cizik, a policy analyst for the National Association of Evangelicals and a staff member for the delegation, said he has been preparing for this trip since reading Pearl S. Buck’s The Good Earth as a child. Cizik received a graduate fellowship to the National Political Science University in Taiwan in the early 1970s, and visited the garrison coastal islands of Quemoy and Matsu—the closest that an American with a Republic of China passport could get to mainland China at that time. "Looking through binoculars from one of the concrete bunkers built to house artillery batteries," he said, "I promised God that I would someday get to the mainland." This year he fulfilled that promise. —The Editors
"We’re here to build a spiritual bridge between the United States and China," the rabbi, minister, and archbishop calmly explained. At least a dozen reporters with cameras, including representatives of Xin Hua, the official Chinese News Agency, crowded the entryway of the White Cloud Daoist Temple to interview the highest level delegation of its kind at the start of a three week mission on behalf of religious freedom.
"Don’t you think you are being used by the Chinese government for propaganda purposes?" a reporter from Reuters inquired.
"Except my mother and me, the entire Schneier family died in Nazi concentration camps," the rabbi responded. "I know what it means to be manipulated by authorities, and that’s not going on here."
Jim Wallis 5-01-1998
Religious persecution. It’s becoming a hot topic, with a protest against it gathering strong momentum around the world. It’s about time.