A recent report says that the persecution of Christians across the world is fast becoming a genocide and that the faith will soon disappear in some areas of the world, even in locations where its presence dates back to antiquity.
The crisis made the news recently, when terrorists targeted three churches and three hotels in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Easter morning. The bombings killed 253 people and injured hundreds more.
The British government had already commissioned the Bishop of Truro, Philip Mounstephen, to lead a review of the persecution of Christians to recommend how the UK Foreign Office should respond to it. That review has published a report in July, 2019 detailing its findings.
“Evidence shows not only the geographic spread of anti–Christian persecution, but also its increasing severity,” the report states. “In some regions, the level and nature of persecution is arguably coming close to meeting the international definition of genocide, according to that adopted by the UN.”
The review found that eradicating Christians and other minorities through violence was the explicit objective of extremist groups in Syria, Iraq, Egypt, northeast Nigeria and the Philippines. While we know Christianity will not disappear, it is the task of all Christians to pray for their brothers and sisters in Christ.