Recently, a pastor named Falgun went to pray for some sick parishioners. There is nothing unusual about this. It’s one of the things pastors do.

But when he went to pray, he probably didn’t expect to end up in the hospital.

Pastor Falgun (not his real name) and his family were assaulted by “about 10 members of a Hindu extremist group,” according to Voice of the Martyrs (VOM). These anti-Christian fanatics “attacked the pastor with sticks,” grabbed the pastor’s sister-in-law “by the hair and smashed her head into the wall. The woman’s husband tried to protect her, but they then beat him as well.”

The first hospital the pastor and his family went to kicked them out the next day. The Hindu extremists insisted. “The pastor’s sister-in-law was later diagnosed with a blood clot in her head,” says VOM. “The four are now being treated at another hospital.”

I don’t know in what country these barbaric things took place. It’s too dangerous for VOM to tell us.

Prayer for healing and beatings for it. This is straight out of the Book of Acts. Assumed names and anonymous countries. That’s straight out of today’s headlines.

And There’s More

Christian Solidarity Worldwide is another respected anti-persecution ministry. CSW says that Pastor Zhang Shaojie of Henan Province “is barely alive after suffering various forms of torture in prison, according to reports from his daughter.”

Prayer for healing and beatings for it. This is straight out of the Book of Acts. Assumed names and anonymous countries. That’s straight out of today’s headlines.

As CSW’s Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas notes, “the deliberate ill-treatment of an unjustly sentenced pastor is an utterly grievous injustice.”

“Security forces in Eritrea have been going house-to-house arresting Christians,” says Release International. “They have rounded up 177 adults, along with some 20 small children. The arrests are continuing and many Christians have gone into hiding.”

In The Sudan, “Persecution in the country is systematic and reminiscent of ethnic cleansing,” Open Doors reports. “Arrests, attacks and murders plague all Christian communities in the country.”

Our review of Christian persecution could go on for many pages. Brutality against Christians takes place in countries large and small. Atheist (officially), Muslim, or Hindu. It knows no racial, ethnic, gender, age, or economic distinctions.

And persecution against those who uphold the Cross is growing. Open Doors estimates that more than 300 Christians are killed because of their faith every month. This does not include beatings, rapes, or abductions. Then there are the various types of torture. And theft of property. And forced marriages.

All religious-based persecution is evil. Yet most of it is against Christians. “Christians continued to be the most persecuted group across the globe in 2016,” according to a recent study. Italy’s Center for Studies on New Religions “determined that 90,000 Christians were killed for their beliefs worldwide” in 2016. “Nearly a third were at the hands of Islamic extremists like ISIS. Others were killed by state and non-state persecution, including in places like North Korea.”

Open Doors estimates that more than 300 Christians are killed because of their faith every month. This does not include beatings, rapes, or abductions.

America Must Make Persecution of the Faithful a Priority

Protection of Christians and others at risk for following their faiths must be a priority for the Trump Administration. It is in America’s interest to defend those suffering or at risk of attack.

Why? Because by speaking for those whose lives are on the line for their religious convictions, America sends a message. We are the friends of those standing for their religious beliefs. This lets the suffering know they are not alone. This is a powerful way of gaining friends who matter in places where we need them.

There is also strong evidence that “religious freedom contributes to better economic and business outcomes,” according to major 2014 study by academics at Georgetown and Brigham Young Universities. This alone should encourage leading Trump foreign policy and trade officials to call for an end to persecution.

Most importantly, religious liberty is central to our identity as Americans. Religious liberty is at the heart of the American experience. Our primary allegiance is to God, not the state. He is the one who has given us our “unalienable rights,” not politicians in marble hallways. Our duty to our Creator existed long before our duty to any government.

Our Founders knew and asserted this. Not only in the Declaration of Independence but in numerous other public and private writings.

For America to abandon those seeking to live-out their faith free from fear is more than short-sighted. It is cowardly. And it is an abandonment of our own most essential principles.

For America to abandon those seeking to live-out their faith free from fear is more than short-sighted. It is cowardly. And it is an abandonment of our own most essential principles.

It is hard to judge what any Administration does behind the scenes to advocate for the persecuted. Yet five months into the Trump Administration, no Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom has been appointed. It is welcome news that Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback is being considered for this role. We can hope and pray that he or someone of his heart and stature will assume this key post soon.

“Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them,” Christians are charged by the writer of Hebrews, “and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body (of Christ)” (Hebrews 13:3).

Thankfully, there are Christian ministries working hard to do this. It’s up to American Christians to support them and pray for those persecuted. And, as Jesus commanded us, to pray for their persecutors, as well.

We also must pray that President Trump and his team will commit to fighting persecution. America’s interests and character are at stake.