The Christians of Iraq

The above video is about the Christians of Iraq. Since the war in Iraq, which has in essense been ongoing since 1991 through sanctions and systematic bombings even during the Clinton administration, the American public has not been exposed to much about the existence of the Christian community in Iraq, a community which is close to 2000 years old. American Christian media and ministries have shown little concern or talked about the plight of these people. I have known about them early on beginning when the war became its' most destructive in 2003. I knew that under Saddam Hussein, who was a secularist, that Iraqi Christians did not face persecution the way they now do in Iraq. The Christians of Iraq never tried to undermine Saddam's government. They lived quietly in their communities, even on rare occasions intermarrying with Muslims. As long as people swore allegiance to Saddam and his dictates, religion was a private matter and not seen as a threat.

The Christian community is disappearing in Iraq through killings but mainly through thousands who have gone into exile because of fear that eventually they will be swept away by the tide of Islamic extremism that is boiling in the region. These articles which were written not long after 2003 explains the plight and the history of the Iraqi Christians and are still very relevant:

Life After Saddam

Christians in Iraq

Evangelical and fundamentalist Christians get more more press in America than any other Christian group. Their narrow worldview often borders on the nationalistic and materialistic. The only big issues on the radar with these Christians are basically gay marriage and abortion. They do not have a global sense of Christianity the way the Catholic Church does. They do not see many of the Christians of the world as their brothers and sisters due to variations on doctrine and church practices. I do not see the church in this limited way. I believe I have written in an earlier post that I would describe myself as a "primitive" Christian. I want to see the church, especially in America get back to its' basic roots. I want to see the church start showing more concern for the brethren worldwide. One aspect of God is that He is love, and today there is not enough love and understanding in the American branch of Christianity

Christians in America live an easy life with very little real persecution. When life is easy, one can easily forget about those who suffer and live in fear unless one is a very special and unique individual. I have been very concerned about the Christians of Iraq for some time now. I have waited to no avail to hear preachers and televangelists really tell their listeners about these Christians. There is a general ignorance of the subject, which is a shame considering that Christianity originated in the Middle East, a fact which some Christians in America seem to forget. The ancestors of many Middle and Near Eastern Christians actually came into contact with and were converted by some of the Apostles.

I know one dirty secret of why these Christians are ignored. It is because often their brand of Christianity is very similar to Catholicism. With the majority of Americans being Protestants, there is an uneasiness about anything that looks too Catholic. I am Protestant, but I do not feel that way.

In the end, I think the American church is going to be judged harshly for its' indifference, igorance, and silent bigotry against the eastern Christians oppressed under Muslim rule whether in Iraq or elsewhere.

My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you... (Hosea 4:6)