Christianity faces death in Middle East

#1173 for broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 3 January 2016

At a reception for Christians connected to the Middle East, Prince Charles gave graphic descriptions of the suffering faced by Christians under attack from terrorists. The Prince described the plight of Christians he has personally met who have been kidnapped, tortured, threatened with beheading but who kept their faith. He said:

according to Aid to the Church in Need, Christianity is on course to disappear from Iraq within five years, unless emergency help is provided on a greatly increased scale at an international level. This affects us all. Consequently, the greatest challenge we face is how to ensure that the spiritual and cultural heritage of Christianity in the Middle East is preserved for future generations – quite apart from doing all we can to provide practical support to those who are persecuted.

If you are a person of prayer, pray for Christians and Christianity in the Middle East. The Prince’s full speech is available on the Bible Society Australia website.

I’m Rod Benson for the NSW Council of Churches.