WEA Religious Liberty Commission on Turkey, Europe & the Challenge of Islam

Really good interview with the head of the World Evangelical Alliance's Religious Liberty Commission:

"The recent horrific killings of three Bible workers in Turkey once again threw the international spotlight on religious liberty and the ongoing persecution of Christians in many countries around the world.

Christian Today spoke to Johan Candelin, head of the World Evangelical Alliance’s Religious Liberty Commission, to find out more about some of the challenges facing the worldwide Christian community"

"With a few exceptions, like Brazil and a couple of states in Central America, the church is growing under pressure.

I don’t think it is growing because it is persecuted. I think it is persecuted because it is growing. We should avoid a romantic approach that says if we are persecuted then the churches would be full. I don’t think that would be the case. If there is pressure on the church it will either die or grow. It will never stay the same. It is the untold story of our time."

CT: And nationalism is a big challenge in Turkey where the three Bible workers were recently murdered. What implication is that going to have for Christians living in Turkey?

JC: Well, I think what happened in Turkey was no surprise and I met with a couple of Christians a few weeks ago when I was there who said this is not the beginning of the end but the beginning of the beginning and that there will be more of this.

Turkey is very different from all other nations because for historical reasons Turkey has a very split identity. You have one part promoting Islam but then you have another part which is very strongly nationalist. And then in the middle you have a group of very Western-minded Turks who would love to see Turkey join the European Union. So there is a fight within Turkey for the mind of the new generation and it would be interesting to see who will come out as the winners.

But the losers are the Christians because they are targeted. The ugly word in Turkey is ‘missionary activity’. When you ask them how they understand that, they say it means an agent for a foreign country who is paid by that nation to split the Turkish nation. They don’t see it in religious terms at all, as we do, but in completely political terms.

But if Turkey joins the European Union then it will surely have an effect on other nations with a Muslim majority. It could be a prototype for a new kind of partnership. But it is a long way to the European Union for Turkey."
WEA Religious Liberty Commission on Turkey, Europe & the Challenge of Islam