Discrimination.
Harassment. Torture.
Depending on
which estimates you believe, at least 200 million Christians around the world
are enduring some form of persecution for their faith in Jesus Christ.
One such
Christian—we’ll call him “Benji”—just escaped Eritrea, an African country where
Christian persecution is common. Benji is a staff member for
Strategic World Impact, an international missions organization headquartered in
Oklahoma. The 23-year-old now holds refugee status in a neighboring
country.
“For
over three years Benji faced incredible suffering as a result of his faith,”
says Kevin Turner, president of Strategic
World Impact. “Beatings, mock executions, and food
and water deprivation were common during his ordeal, along with his captors
often demanding him to renounce his faith in Christ.”
Benji
was arrested and jailed in deplorable conditions, which included confinement in
metal shipping containers and caves with metal bars placed at the entrances.
Benji survived off of two pieces of bread and one cup of tea per day. He lived
in tight quarters with nearly 300 other men, some of whom died in the face of
harsh conditions.
Benji eventually
fled the country by foot, enduring Africa’s searing heat and deadly hyenas.
Strategic World Impact found him in a nearby country. He was treated for
typhus, malaria and severe malnutrition.
Located just north of Ethiopia, Eritrea has a documented history of
persecuting religious minorities, in a country where only four religious
groups—Islam, the Eritrean Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church and the
Lutheran Evangelical Church of Eritrea—are formally recognized by the
government. Christians of other denominations, particularly evangelical Christians,
regularly face discrimination and even imprisonment.
Turner, who has testified before the United States
Congress several times about persecution and human rights violations around the
world, says that Benji’s story is not uncommon. Strategic World Impact is
currently working on his release to assist him in beginning a new life.
