Martyrs: Iranian Death Sentence - Stone The Preacher

It is illegal in Iran to share Christianity with Muslims or preach the gospel in Farsi, the indigenous language of Iran. It is also illegal for a Muslim to reject Islam (apostasy). Therefore, Farsi-speaking, Iranian Muslim converts to Christianity must worship in illegal “underground” fellowships.

In a massive crackdown that began on Christmas Day, authorities arrested about 70 Farsi-speaking believers. Most are young converts from Islam. They are being interrogated and coerced. The arrests follow the denial of an appeal for a Muslim convert sentenced to death for leaving Islam.

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani’s death sentence is only being delayed to give intelligence agents more time to convince him to renounce Christ and return to Islam. His wife has been sentenced to life imprisonment. They have two small children.

Source: Assist News Service

Please Pray!

Ask God to protect the believers in Iran and that the attempted repression of the spread of Christianity by the Iranian regime would prove futile. Pray that those in leadership would be delivered from the powers of darkness and come to trust in Christ.

“The humble also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. For the terrible one is brought to nothing, the scornful one is consumed, and all who watch for iniquity are cut off-who make a man an offender by a word, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and turn aside the just by empty words.” Isaiah 29:19-21
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The Voice of the Martyrs helps persecuted Christians around the world and assists Christians in Iran by providing Farsi Bibles and by supporting Christian satellite broadcasts. Another way this ministry helps is by making the plight of the persecuted known through the BE-A-VOICE Network.

Comments (9)

Nohm
January 26, 2011
I think that we can all agree that what the authorities are doing there is wrong.
Nohm
January 26, 2011
Now that? Is actual persecution.
Garrett
January 27, 2011
See, we rarely have to attack Islam because they do such a good job of it on their own.
Nameless Cynic
January 27, 2011
OK, I’ll see your Iranian anti-Christian laws, and I’ll raise you Ugandan anti-gay laws. Where gay rights activist David Kato was recently beaten to death; it’s a common problem for gays down there, referred to as “iron bar killings.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12295718
with the Ugandan movement strongly linked to American evangelists like Scott Lively, Caleb Lee Brundidge and Don Schmierer.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/04/world/africa/04uganda.html
You know, you’d think that high-profile evangelists like Rick Warren would condemn this kind of behavior, right? Yeah, not so much.
http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/the-human-condition/2009/11/29/pastor-rick-warren-responds-to-proposed-antigay-ugandan-legislation.html
So, you know, American Christians supporting African policies that lead to people getting beaten to death with iron rods. Was this what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 10:34?
Steve Sanchez
January 27, 2011
It certainly isn’t what Jesus spoke about. And I, for one, condemn this sort of anti-homosexual violence and thing that the death sentence is wrong.
vintango2k
January 27, 2011
@ Steve
I mean I don’t understand why you think this death sentence is wrong Steve. Homosexuals are destined for the Lake of Fire aka Hell for their sins, why should we be any less just then God will be with them? Today me and some co-workers who are Christians discussed the idea of homosexuals and whether or not they go to Heaven. My argument was that if they trust in Christ then they will, but that they don’t have to give up the life style, only acknowledge their sin and pray for forgiveness. They balked at this notion, but you’ll be pleased to know that I borrowed one of your lines or Ray’s, asking them if they had ever looked at looked at a woman lustfully, they said they did all the time. I also asked them if they ever looked at pornography and everything associated with it (don’t want to get too graphic here) and they said yes all the time. So I told them, that because they keep doing these things, they’re just as guilty of habitual sin as a homosexual who believes in Christ as their savior. I even took it a little further that as long as a person practices “self love” they’re also guilty of adultery as per the Bible. They balked of course at first, but then slowly they began to realize that they had to accept either two notions, that they had to completely change their ways if they truly considered themselves Christian AND morally superior to homosexuals, OR they had to accept that their own habitual sins would be forgiven because of their faith in Christ AND that the same was true for homosexuals. Which of these do you think is correct? How many people out there can truly deny the overwhelming biological imperative to mate or self gratification despite it being considered sinful?
Garrett
January 28, 2011
To be fair to Steve, he’ll say that he’d rather try to save the homosexual in question.
Garrett
January 28, 2011
Of course, I’ve never gotten a good reason as to why homosexuality is evil. “Cause God said so.” isn’t a valid reason. Why does God say so?
Steve won’t even go near this one, but maybe Vin can.
vintango2k
January 31, 2011
Hahah
Okay so I guess I’m the ‘expert’ on homosexuality? I defend them because I’ve worked with a lot of them, its hard to go into a creative industry and not meet a few and try and understand them, hang out with them, etc. (Instead of just handing them tracts and telling them they’ll burn forever in a lake of fire for being who they are). While I can’t really sight a good reason for it being a sin (other than its another form of fornication, something that can cause disease hence why it might be a sin from a historical perspective, which is also banned by the Book) I do find it fascinating that its everywhere in nature. I mean there are examples of it in species such as giraffes, to Bonobo chimps, to even Black Swans, and not just the sex aspect but also monogamy and parenting. There’s speculation as to the exact purpose of homosexuality in evolution whether it strengths social groups ala the bonobo, or affords an evolutionary advantage in the case of Black Swan males, when defending young. Either way it happens in nature so I guess its just something God decided to throw in just to test us perhaps?