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Turkey

Turkey-Ephesus_1
Ruins of the main street of Ephesus, a prosperous city where the Apostle Paul spent several years sharing the Gospel (Acts 19)

Present-day Turkey includes the area where the seven churches of Revelation are located. Turkey, known to the Romans as “Asia Minor”, saw Christianity spread rapidly during the first century after Jesus’ death and resurrection. It was here that several of the early Christian communities, such as the Ephesians and the Galatians, were found. The city of Istanbul used to be Constantinople, the capital of the Christian Byzantine Empire.

Today this rich Christian heritage is mostly confined to ancient ruins, and Christians comprise a tiny minority of the total population. Turkey’s image is now one of a modern, secular country, but this belies the danger in which many Christians there have to live. Promises made in 2011 that Christians would be better protected by the country’s constitution do not appear to have led to improved conditions for them.

In March 2012, Turkey was newly named as one of the world’s worst violators of religious freedom in the US Commission on International Religious Freedom’s (USCIRF) annual report. “Turkishness” is held to include being a Muslim, and so Christians are viewed with suspicion. There has been an increase in attacks on Christian individuals and communities, ranging from harassment and vandalism to death threats.

After an Easter service in 2012, Semiyh Sertek, a pastor in Istanbul, was attacked in his church by a group of Muslims, who beat him and threatened to kill him unless he recited the Islamic confession of faith, thus – in the eyes of his attackers – converting to Islam. Several other pastors are under police protection after receiving threats. Converts from Islam are also particularly at risk of harassment, as are Christians who share their faith or teach Christianity to children.

Christians face government restrictions on their rights to own property, conduct worship services, and open schools, hospitals and other institutions. Because some theological schools have been closed down, it is almost impossible for some Christian groups to equip new leaders to guide and encourage the Church. Christians are often portrayed very negatively in the media. 

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  • Christian teacher detained in Egypt over allegations that she insulted Islam has been released on bail http://t.co/8pcQreBswV Fri, May 2013 16:59

  • Vibrant #Christian education in the birthplace of Jesus http://t.co/NZ1UqmxQnQ http://t.co/9bTAAHAMan Fri, May 2013 11:04

  • Barnabas Fund Int. Director Dr Patrick Sookhdeo shares first-hand accounts from Syrian Christians he met last week http://t.co/s2fM6yo7aB Thu, May 2013 16:25

  • Editorial: Rising tide of Islamism in North Africa threatens #Christians http://t.co/1xmmgmXXR0 Thu, May 2013 15:02

  • Third #Christian community in 50 days attacked by Muslims in Pakistan: “teach the Christians a lesson” http://t.co/jylRCScZW5 Thu, May 2013 11:13

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Daily prayer

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  • The various measures recently taken against Christian churches and institutions by the government of Sudan add up to a ruthless campaign that may be intended to eradicate Christianity from the country altogether. They were launched by a media drive against alleged “Christianisation” and have focused in particular on those involved in Christian ministry. Numerous church buildings have been demolished, and Christian literature has been seized. President al-Bashir has declared his intention of making Sudan entirely Islamic and of strengthening the place of sharia. Pray that God will frustrate the plans of the authorities and that the churches of Sudan will remain faithful in the face of intimidation. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed 9 hours ago

  • The Sudanese authorities have intensified their crackdown on Christian activities by targeting Christian-run schools. Two of these in the capital, Khartoum, have been ordered to close. One is a primary school that the authorities discovered was not teaching Islamic studies or separating boys and girls. The other provided English-language lessons for 500 adults; three of its staff had been arrested and interrogated over suspicions that they were evangelising Muslims. Pray that Christian work and witness in Sudan will continue despite the increasingly crippling restrictions being imposed upon them, and that the Gospel will spread there. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Sun, May 2013 00:00

  • An upsurge of arrests and deportations of Christians in Sudan has further unsettled the country’s vulnerable Christian minority. In January three Christians of South Sudanese origin were detained and then ordered to leave the country because of their involvement with churches and a Christian radio station. The following month a group of at least 55 Christians were detained without charge, falsely accused of receiving money from foreign countries. Dozens of expatriate Christians have also been deported. Pray that this frequent and severe harassment will stop, and that the churches of Sudan will be allowed to worship and serve the Lord in peace. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Sat, May 2013 00:00

  • “We have reached here with the help of God. We shall live well with God’s help in our land.” A Christian woman gave thanks as she arrived in South Sudan after escaping from discrimination and oppression in Muslim-majority Sudan, thanks to the Exodus project sponsored by Barnabas Fund. Give thanks to the Lord that more than 3,500 Christians have already reached the safety of the Christian-majority South by plane and bus. Pray for His blessing upon them as they settle into their new lives, and pray too that others will be able to join them soon. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Fri, May 2013 00:00

  • Pray for 14 Christians in Nghe An, Vietnam, who were sentenced in January to between three and 13 years in prison on charges of subversion against the state. Their lawyers complained that the Christians had been subjected to torture, including sleep deprivation, and coerced into confessing crimes that they had not committed. Some of them had apparently been detained by police at random, some at a church service. During the two-day trial, thousands of Christians staged a protest against the arbitrary and illegal arrest of innocent people. Pray that the sentences will be revoked and the Christians released, and that the authorities will stop harassing and bullying the Christian community. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Thu, May 2013 00:00

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