There are still places where Christians are persecuted, dispossessed, tortured, or killed for their faith. Here are the four last countries from 2024's Most Dangerous Countries for Christians, as ranked by the Open Doors World Watch List.
Quick Note: Before taking offense at my gallows humor, know I’m not demeaning anyone, belittling their situation, or exploiting their victimhood. I’m not above that kind of writing. I'm just not doing it now.
4. Eritrea
The Good Hey, I didn't expect to find anything, either.
But apparently, Eritrea recognizes three Christian denominations: Eritrean Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Lutheran.
The Bad
End of Menu. Those are the ONLY denominations Eritrea recognizes. Any others are heavily monitored or jailed. Nicknamed the "North Korea of Africa", Eritrea holds on to its #4 ranking by imprisoning over 1,000 Christians -without charges- in abhorrent squalor for 10 years or more.
The Hope Open Doors collaborates with local partners and churches in North Africa, offering leadership and discipleship training, livelihood support, legal assistance, trauma counseling, Bibles, and pastoral care.
3. Libya
The Good Libyans have been OG Christians since Simon of Cyrene, but the church was almost eliminated following the introduction of Islam. Tiny Coptic, Roman Catholic, Greek and Russian Orthodox, and one Anglican congregation still struggle to survive. But these colonial holdovers can only be found on the Mediterranean coast; none are in the vast South. The Bad
Up three points this year, politically unstable Libya still has a small minority (.01%) of individuals secretly adhering to Christianity. They risk EVERYTHING to do so.
Converts from Islam face severe violence from their families and communities, including house arrest, physical attacks, abductions, rape, and murder. Gathering for worship is perilous in the best of times, and even non-Libyan Christians risk death anywhere near Islamic extremist regions. That is, almost everywhere in Libya.
The Hope Somehow Open Doors works behind the scenes with locals and North African churches to provide leadership/discipleship training, livelihood support, legal aid, Bibles, and trauma counseling.
2. Somalia
The Truly Bad Not to be outdone by failing state Libya, certified FAILED state Somalia jumps one spot for 2024. In Somalia, Christians are prime targets for violence by the militant group al-Shabaab, which aims to eradicate all Christians from the country. Converting from Islam is seen as a betrayal of both Somali culture and clan, resulting in harassment, abuse, and murder of believers at the hands of their own families and communities. Churches in Somalia are scarce, and the risks that isolated Christians face are only increasing.
The Hope
Open Doors provides discipleship training and equips Somali believers across the Horn of Africa to navigate severe persecution.
1. North Korea
The Satanically Bad
In North Korea, being a Christian is a straight-up death sentence. This hellscape is a real-life horror movie. And it's happening RIGHT NOW: as I type this and whenever you read it.
In North Korea, suspected believers face immediate execution or are dispatched to vast, city-sized labor camps in the frigid and mountainous northern regions. Within these camps, they endure grueling physical labor, routine torture, starvation, and constant fear of arbitrary execution. The squalid conditions are so severe that most don't survive beyond the age of 45.
See this toddler? His parents were caught with a Bible, and now this child will live in the Gulag for the rest of his short life, as will his current relatives and any children he brings into the world.
Note to Kim: We'll take this kid off your hands. Spin it any way you want back home.
The Hope It beggars belief, but secret networks somehow offer food, shelter, and discipleship training to North Korean Christians in and out of Kim's backward, upside-down, house-of-cards surveillance state. I won't say more because I don't want their four apparatchiks with Internet access to learn anything about our brothers and sisters in Christ. Except this: KIM은 신성하지 않습니다.
Next Time: A little fun. We need it.
During Covid, the author rediscovered cityonahilldfw.com. Post-vaccination he snuck into a service and felt zero social pressure. He's a member now and everyone knows he sucks at small talk. They don't care: it ain't that kind of church.