The last ten days have been fraught for the global church.
Afghanistan is already a nation in which it is very dangerous to be a Christian; under the US-backed regime, preaching the Gospel was illegal and Christians faced severe persecution from the Muslim-majority community which viewed leaving Islam to follow Christ as a grievous offense.
The majority of the Christian population of Afghanistan fled in 1996 when the Taliban first took control of the country and has remained largely underground ever since.
As the Taliban swiftly took over dozens of provinces in early August, culminating in a successful siege of Kabul two weeks ago, we knew instantly that this already severely persecuted minority was going to face even more persecution.
As Washington DC scrambled to coordinate the urgent evacuations of tens of thousands of Americans and Afghan allies to the US, many worried for the beleaguered church.
This is where the Nazarene Fund stepped in.
The organization’s aim is “To liberate the captive, to free the enslaved, and to rescue, rebuild and restore the lives of Christians and other persecuted religious and ethnic minorities wherever and whenever they are in need.”
When it comes to the Afghan church, this is exactly what they’ve done.
Conservative media mogul Glenn Beck has worked with the Nazarene Fund to raise over $30 million to coordinate airlifts of the at-risk Christian population, and has been posting regular updates from an undisclosed location in the Middle East.
He has been scathing in his criticism of the Biden administration and the State Department, whom he accuses of placing obstacles in their efforts to clear their planes for takeoff and resettle the refugees.
The Biden administration is NOT telling you the truth about what's going on in Afghanistan. TONIGHT on GlennTV, I join you from the Middle East as the Nazarene Fund's rescue mission continues. pic.twitter.com/YZi8bFPcqI
— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) August 26, 2021
All the same, Beck and the Nazarene Fund reported this week that they had already rescued 5,100 Christians and expected to bring that total to 7,000 by the end of the week.
In a nation with an estimated 10,000-12,000 Christians, this is an extraordinary feat.
As we’ve also shared this week, humanitarian workers have also issued calls to prayer for the Afghans who will remain in their home, committed to carrying out the Great Commission among their own people and even, we can hope, to bring Taliban members to Christ.
Pray the blood of the lamb over Afghanistan and the Afghan refugee church. They have suffered more and will suffer more than many of us can ever imagine — yet we are all united in a single Body of Christ and will stand with them.
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