I was reading the latest newsletter from VOM (The Voice of the Martyrs) this morning and, in particular, the lead story about Christians in North Korea. The persecution that Christians in North Korea endure is staggering, though persecution may be the wrong word, as persecution seems to convey a duration of time, at least to me.
The North Korean government has no tolerance for Christians — when one is discovered to be a Christian, they are simply executed. The article said that the life expectancy of a Christian in North Korea is three months. I’m assuming that three months is from the time they see the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ and believe, until their new-found faith is discovered and they are dealt with.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Christian pastor who was imprisoned and killed by the Nazis in WWII, wrote that “when Jesus calls a man he bids him come and die.” If this doesn’t describe Christianity and Christians in North Korea, I don’t know what else does. (By the way, can you imagine handing a recent, well-known book titled Your Best Life Now to a North Korean Christian? Hardly.)
After reading the article I went to VOM’s website and found that they post media (videos) each month that are related to the newsletter articles. There are three videos connected to this month’s article about North Korea, including the one I’ve posted here that was created by an organization called LiNK (Liberty in North Korea). LiNK’s website has a LOT of information about North Korea and what is happening there — check it out to learn more.
A light in the darkness 