Marshall, Paul, Lela Gilbert, and Nina Shea. Persecuted: The Global Assault on Christians. Thomas Nelson, 2013.
Pages: 416
Point: This is not a book about people standing up to drug cartel, kidnapping for money, or natural disasters. The purpose of this work is to report on Christians who are being persecuted around the world for being Christian.
Path: “Christians are the single most widely persecuted religious group in the world today.” This book walks through example after example of these persecutions. According to the authors, this persecution takes place primarily for three reasons: 1) hunger for political control; 2) a desire to preserve religious heritage; and 3) radical Islam’s desire for dominance.
Sources: Stories, reports, and personal experiences which haven’t made it to our mainstream media.
Agreement: I appreciate this resource for the numerous stories of persecution which help me to pray better for believers around the world. The recent dates after each story remind me that persecution is happening today.
In their conclusion, “A Call to Action” they point out that prayer is the first responsibility.
Disagreement: One needs to be careful with definitions. “Christian” is defined as including “Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant to liturgical, evangelical, and charismatic, including hundreds of small, little-known sects” (Kindle, 237). They include all these because “our churches are united in belief in the name of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.” I think this is the main reason I wouldn’t recommend this book to most people. It can be confusing.
Their second, and primary (they spend most of their time on this one), conclusion is that to government action. It is not wrong to push for government action, but is it the primary?
Personal App: Pray for those who are being persecuted for following Jesus Christ.
Stars: 3 out of 5
It would be worth consulting in the future.
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Disclaimer: I received this copy through the Booksneeze.com website, however, I am under no obligation other than to give my honest opinion.