Though the torment and murder of Believers dates to the time of Christ, a new film makes clear those same depredations are currently raging around the world.
The documentary is called Christians in the Mirror and it puts a spotlight on the steadfast courage and faith of our brothers and sisters who are right now facing unimaginable suffering because of their belief in Christ. From filmmaker Jordan Allott and producer Patrick Carberry, this production focuses on the tribulations visited upon Believers in Egypt, India, Sudan, Iraq and Syria.
The latter two nations, of course, have faced years of conflict and been much in the news. Christians are certainly not the only victims of the fighting, with people of all religious backgrounds caught in the crossfire between warring factions there. Our fellow Believers, however, have also been specifically targeted for their faith, particularly by ISIS, the murderous Islamic extremist group that, though now weakened, long dominated chunks of territory in both Iraq and Syria.
The depravities inflicted there and in other places are hard to stomach even as a distant observer, let alone as a witness or victim: women and girls raped in front of family members, sex slavery, and murder in the most gruesome ways, including being set alight, à la emperor Nero's barbarism, turning Christians into human torches in Rome two millennia ago.
Not just the methods of the targeted killing of Believers, but the scope, too, is truly horrific: the fillmmakers state that in 2016 alone, 90,000 Christians were murdered for their faith. It's a number that boggles the mind and may strike one as unbelievable, were it not for corroborating information from other sources. A report on the issue commissioned by the British Foreign Office announced last month that the persecution of Christians in some parts of the world is approaching "near genocide levels." Genocide!? Let that sink in for a moment. It's a stunning acknowledgement of the dire plight faced by many of the faithful.
Part of the goal of this film, which Christian Film Blog has not yet seen, is to inspire Believers in the West to more actively help, pray for and advocate on behalf of our persecuted brothers and sisters. It will not have mass distribution in theaters, however, but rather depend on showings sponsored by local churches and faith-based organizations.
One such showing is scheduled to take place next Monday, June 10th in Washington, DC, where it is being hosted at the Institute on Religion and Democracy. If you are interested in bringing Christians in the Mirror to your area, you can contact the filmmakers via this link. The trailer below gives a sense of what you can expect. Christian Film Blog also strongly encourages you to pray without ceasing for our brothers and sisters living out their faith in the face of persecution - persecution the likes of which most of us will mercifully never have to endure.