2023 saw more Christians persecuted and killed for their faith than at any time in
history.
From genocide to intense social discrimination, what is happening worldwide against people of faith is disturbing… but few are disturbed.
Below are some highlights of Open Doors Ministry’s 2023 statistics, which are based upon verifiable public information, so the numbers are underestimated, not overestimated.
Sadly, the media is ignoring this persecution… The politicians are ignoring it… Even pastors are looking the other way.
Here are 8 things most people don’t know, including Christians.
1) Violent persecution and discrimination just for being a Christian is escalating
More than 365 million Christians worldwide suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith.
Across the world, Christians are intensely persecuted, whether it’s in communist China with its oppressive social credit system and its official persecution of Christians, or in non-communist countries such as the radical Hindu persecution of Christians now going on in India or the Islamic persecution in the Middle East. See the article Terrifying: Persecution and Oppression of Christians in India Surprises America [Urgent Petition]
The numbers are staggering, but based on how many Christians there are in the world, that’s 1 in 7.
2) 4,998 Christians “officially” murdered in 2023
4,998 believers in Christ are verified as murdered.
The exact numbers are difficult to verify, so it’s higher. Some are officially killed by the government, and some are killed by Hindu-Indian groups or Islamic extremists with government support.
In Nigeria, at Christmas time, over 140 were killed. See article the Christian Genocide Escalates: Over 200 Christians Killed Since Christmas—Every 24 Hours a Christian is Killed… Here are 6 Things You Should Know
3) Homes burned to the ground
Thousands of homes owned by Christians have been burned to the ground, forcing the Christians living in them to flee for their lives.
Attacks on the homes of Christians nearly quadrupled (+371 percent) from 2022 to 2023.
278,716 Christians were driven from their homes or forced to go underground. This is more than double from 2022 (124,310).
4) Christian churches, schools, and hospitals burned to the ground
The number of attacks on churches, Christian schools, and hospitals jumped sevenfold, from 2,110 in 2022 to 14,766 in 2023.
5) Attacked and beaten for their faith
42,849 Christians suffered physical violence or death threats in the course of 2023.
6) 50 most dangerous countries… Which is on the top of the list?
North Korea is the most dangerous country in the world for Christians, according to the World Watch List.
North Korea is an officially atheist country run by a brutal socialist regime that is particularly hostile to Christians. As World Watch List (WWL) notes, being discovered to be a Christian in North Korea “is effectively a death sentence.”
See the article Christians are the Most Persecuted Faith in the World
2024 is looking as if it will be worse than 2023. Sadly, Biden’s State Department is ignoring the issue and making things worse with its abysmal policies.
Action Steps:
1) Pray for Christians worldwide… their safety… the gospel going out.
2) Read about the persecuted church in my book, The Christian Voter: How to Vote For, Not Against Your Values to Transform Culture and Politics (see chapter 12). [Click here to order]
3) According to O
pen Doors, India is the 11th most dangerous country for Christians. Sign our petition against the persecution of Christians in India.