"Covid-19 response .. the Church in Iran has gotten more organized, which brings greater risk. They have not done this sort of above-ground relief before. It’s a historic thing.” .. David Curry, CEO of Open Doors USA

It is dangerous to be a Christian in over 58 countries now and things are not getting any better.

And just as Jesus was considered to be a radical and a criminal by those who held authority, many Muslim and Atheist majority countries see the love and compassion of Christians as a threat to their established political stability because it transforms hearts.

The latest sign of that heart transformation is happening in Iran, where the underground Church is openly reaching into all areas to assist stricken people during the ongoing Covid-19 crisis in Iran, knowing that it will likely cost them their lives.

David Curry of Open Doors USA says that the Church in Iran has never dared to be this publicly visible and identifiable, and that Christians are sustaining life where the government is failing to do so: among the working class and the elderly.

So much so that the Church has become the sole source and point of care and compassion in many Muslim communities.

With more and more suffering from Covid-19 infections every day, these Christians openly risk arrest for trying to serve the ever expanding needs of the people because in giving food and aid to Muslims, they are seen as evangelizing, which is violently suppressed.

The underlying reasons for this success is two-fold: Full faith in God and superior utilization of electronic communications network to coordinate aid and be better able to evade arrest.

The continuing success of the Iranian Christians in aiding Covid-19 victims in the face of such opposition from the government is in stark contrast to their fellow Christians in India who are being denied any medical treatment or food assistance from radical Hindus.

Perhaps even more amazing now is their dedication unto death to love their neighbors as Jesus commanded of all His followers.

Such are the contrasts in the world we live in.

Note: The 2020 Christian population of 800,000 in Iran has almost doubled since 2016 (450,000), an amazing fact when one considers the oppression and disdain that prevails against them.

Sources:
"Iran’s underground church comes 'above ground' to aid Muslim neighbors during COVID-19" by Samuel Smith - CP, 06/24/2020
"The Church in Iran Want You To Know: They Are Still Alive" by Christopher Summers, Open Doors USA, 05/07/2020
"Covid-19's Worst Victims Will Be The Persecuted Christians", by Jim Shannon - The Telegraph -UK, 04/12/2020

Rik Charbonneaux is a retired NE Iowan who loves all of God's Word and all of His creatures.