Who Will Stand Up for the Christians?

Those of you who read this Lion Lamb blog regularly, or irregularly for that matter, will be aware that I have addressed the persecution of Christians in China, the Middle East, in regions of India, in several African. I have pointed out that Christians in Israel and Palestine are beleaguered and are leaving.

I care about freedom of religion for anyone, anywhere, and I have written about the plight of Jews and Muslims in various situations. Yet I feel strongly that as Christians we must have particular care for our brothers and sisters, both in prayer and practice. I have expressed my concern that in liberal churches there is just not enough said and done on behalf of persecuted Christians and it's hard to understand why. I'm baffled as to why we aren't as thorough about our understanding and support of Christians in crisis as we are of other groups.

Apparently I'm not alone in this regard. There was an op/ed piece in the New York Times recently by Ronald Lauder who is the president of the World Jewish Congress entitled Who Will Stand Up for the Christians? He begins by asking "Why is the world silent while Christians are being slaughtered in the Middle East and Africa?"

While there is a sense that he is frustrated by the support offered to Palestinians when Christians suffer, and he argues that Christians are free to express their faith within Israel, which many Israeli Christians would challenge, it is a bold and honest article. Lauder goes on to say:

This bond between Jews and Christians makes complete sense. We share much more than most religions. We read the same Bible, and share a moral and ethical core. Now, sadly, we share a kind of suffering: Christians are dying because of their beliefs, because they are defenseless and because the world is indifferent to their suffering. Good people must join together and stop this revolting wave of violence. It’s not as if we are powerless. I write this as a citizen of the strongest military power on earth. I write this as a Jewish leader who cares about my Christian brothers and sisters.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/08/20/opinion/ronald-lauder-who-will-stand-up-for-the-christians.html?referrer=&_r=0

I encourage you to pray for Christians around the world and to pay attention to what is happening to them in other parts of the world. We have heard of how the Christian minority in Iraq is under brutal attack but there are so many more situations like this, often just as dire.

Thank you Mr. Lauder by saying what we should be saying within our Christian communities.

Does anyone have an explanation for our silence? Do we not believe that these sisters and brothers are suffering?