OPINION:
As the U.S. war with Iran drags on, it seems there’s little stopping the Persian Gulf nation’s demonic regime from killing, pillaging and endlessly harassing its own people.
A Baptist Press report indicates that dozens of Christians have been thrown in prison or killed, with members of underground churches — individuals forced to worship Jesus in the shadows — targeted by the regime.
Iran Alive Ministries, a powerful nonprofit that shares the Gospel with Iranians, said the disturbing new report came through sources in the underground church who have witnessed the horror firsthand.
One of the ways Iran Alive, an organization founded by Hormoz Shariat — an ex-Muslim who was born in Iran — reaches people is through satellite TV, a notoriously difficult means for the Iranian regime to control due to the way content makes its way into homes.
Despite private ownership of satellites being banned, many Iranians own them anyway, which allows Christian ministries to get biblical content to the masses. In an effort to stop people from discovering these truths, the Iranian regime reportedly cracked down on religious broadcasting this summer and is now criminalizing anyone who chooses to watch or listen.
Open Doors U.S., a persecution watchdog, is among those who have shed light on these assertions, warning about the impact of the government crackdown.
“In a newly published directive, Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence has classified several Persian-language Christian satellite broadcasters as ‘hostile’ organizations,” the organization recently wrote. “The networks have been listed alongside major opposition media outlets, with authorities warning that any form of ‘cooperation’ with these organizations could lead to prosecution under Iran’s expanded espionage laws.”
The implications of this dynamic are obvious, as those engaging in simply watching religious programming could very literally be risking their lives. But this is par for the course in Iran, a nation run by religious fanatics completely detached from reality and goodness.
As Open Doors U.S. noted, the Iranian region has, for decades, gone after Christian ministries, closing and raiding churches, halting the distribution of Christian literature and arresting, persecuting, and killing those who leave Islam for the Christian faith.
That’s what has made satellite TV so critical, with many discovering the Bible, Jesus and the Christian Gospel through such means. An Iranian named Mahsa told Open Doors U.S. why these broadcasts hold the power to change everything.
“There are so many people in Iran hearing the Gospel for the very first time through these satellite TV programs,” Mahsa said. “When there is no church to visit, no Christian community you know, no Bible and no Christian materials available, these TV programs become the only place where people can hear God’s Word.”
It should come as no surprise that religious broadcasts have thus come under fire from the thugs and charlatans running the Iranian government.
Meanwhile, Mr. Shariat told Baptist Press that at least 33 Christians serving with his organization have been slaughtered by Iranian officials, with more than 130 arrested and imprisoned — and he said that’s only scratching the surface.
“This is just a snap picture of the people connected to Iran Alive,” Mr. Shariat said. “There are so many other Christians who have been killed, who’ve been arrested.”
Iran is listed as the 10th most dangerous place in the world for Christians, with Open Doors U.S.’s annual World Watch List offering an explanation of the dire circumstances for Christians living in the Middle Eastern nation.
“Christians in Iran are heavily and systemically repressed, as the authorities seek to root out what they see as a threat from the West to undermine their Islamic rule,” the report reads. “Converts are most in the firing line. House churches are commonly raided, often followed by arrests, interrogations, pressure to inform on other believers and long-term imprisonment.”
Current events aren’t helping this dynamic, as tensions between Israel and Iran — and likely the U.S.-led actions against Iran — are further complicating persecution. With security threats already being used to clamp down on Christianity, increased military conflict only adds fuel to the fire.
But Mr. Shariat and other Christian advocates refuse to back down. And the irony, of course, is that Christianity cannot be contained by such evils. Truth always has a way of growing, especially amid demonic hostilities and persecution.
In fact, Mr. Shariat shared that he’s already seen 5,849 conversions to Christianity in Iran through his ministry this year. And Iran Alive has no plans of backing down, with the ministry leader telling Baptist Press that “God’s kingdom is expanding.”
Let’s pray that dynamic continues.
• Billy Hallowell is a digital TV host and interviewer for Faithwire and CBN News and the co-host of CBN’s “Quick Start Podcast.” Mr. Hallowell also is the author of four books.
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