Christianity was born in persecution and in some parts of the world, it is returning to its birthplace.

Associated Press reports hundreds of terrified Christian families have fled the city of Mosul in Iraq to escape attacks. There is virtually no Christian presence left in Bethlehem, the city of Jesus’ birth.

More than 90 Christians have died in riots in India following the murder of a Hindu leader in Orissa. According to the Baptist World Alliance, even though a militant Maoist group claimed responsibility for the killing, supporters of the slain leader blame Christians for his death.

 In Mosul, the Associated Press reports 3,000 Christians have fled the city over the past week alone.  Duraid Mohammed Kashmoula, governor of northern Iraq's Ninevah province, said it is a "major displacement," and that most are taking shelter in churches, monasteries and the homes of relatives in nearby Christian villages and towns.

"The Christians were subjected to abduction attempts and paid ransom, but now they are subjected to a killing campaign," Kashmoula said.

Father Bolis Jacob of Mosul's Mar Afram Church said he was at a loss to understand the violence. "We respect the Islamic religion and the Muslim clerics," he said. "We don't know under what religion's pretexts these terrorists work."

As Iraq struggles to put into place a governance system that will work, Christians there are lobbying parliament for a number of seats for minorities, such as Christians, in upcoming provincial elections. It is estimated that Iraq’s Christian community is 3 percent of Iraq's 26 million people.

Islamic extremists have frequently targeted Christians since the invasion, forcing tens of thousands to flee Iraq.

I think of Hindu as a non-violent religion, but in India, “a mob of tribes people armed with guns, bows and arrows and sharp weapons attacked Christian villagers in the village of Rudangia,” according to an Oct. 1 report from BBC.
 
Bonny Resu, BWA Regional Secretary for Asia/Pacific, reported to the BWA that “attacks on Christians/Baptists continue unabated and seem to be spreading to other parts of India.”

This is not the first time violence has flared in the Eastern Indian state. From December of last year into January of this year, Hindu radicals attacked Christians, killing at least 10, and burned some 95 churches and 700 houses.

What is the role of other Christians in such situations? What do Christians in America think or do when learning about such violence against our brothers and sisters? Do we pray? Advocate for military intervention? Join a pilgrimage to the afflicted nations to show support for Christians in the danger zones? Boycott goods from those areas? Organize a massive resettlement of Christians from those areas to safer places, or even to the U.S.? Do we simply thank God it isn’t us, here in America?

Does it even register?

I’ve always thought the security precautions of our International Mission Board were overblown. At a visit to the Richmond headquarters last month, I learned fully 54 percent of our missionaries are serving in places in which they cannot be identified as missionaries—for their own safety.

Unfortunately that means half of the missionaries you support through Cooperative Program and Lottie Moon Christmas Offering gifts we can’t tell you about in the Biblical Recorder. We can’t show their faces or tell you their stories. They are anonymous to us, even while they establish platforms among people groups that do not have the gospel, bringing the good news of Jesus Christ on our behalf.

Tonight, when you ask God to “keep all our missionaries safe,” you’ll know that is not an idle request.