If you do not know about persecuted Christians worldwide, you need to take time to research, understand, and respond.
Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #260 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.
Nigeria is considered one of the most dangerous places in the world for Christians, number 7 on Open Doors World Watch List, which is an “annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution.”
With 250.2 million people, Nigeria is the most populus nation in Africa.
According to Open Doors, “Nigeria has been the most violent place in the world for followers of Jesus for several years. In northern Nigeria, 12 states have implemented Islamic law, creating a system where Christians live as second-class citizens, and conversion from Islam can be severely punished.”
“Christians – especially converts from Islam – living in states governed by Islamic law are also at great risk. Anyone suspected of blasphemy or insulting the Prophet Muhammad can be violently opposed and even killed in vigilante mob attacks.”
“Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) operate in the northeast, targeting Christians, burning churches, and forcing conversions. Fulani Militants, radicalized herdsmen, attack farming communities in the Middle Belt, displacing millions of Christians and destroying farms.”
“As of 2025, just under 53,000 Muslims and Christians had been killed in targeted political violence since 2009.”
Nigeria – extremism, radical Islamism, relentless violence. “Many Christians living in the south—particularly in places like Lagos, the most populous city in sub-Saharan Africa—don't face daily violence for their faith in Jesus.
But with increasing frequency, violence has begun to spill into some southern, Christian-majority states…Many victims have (said) that when Fulani militants attack, they don't just shout "Allahu Akbar" ("God is most great")—they also yell, "We will destroy all Christians."
“If you are a Christian, you are 6.5 times more likely to be killed than a Muslim and 5.1 times more likely to be abducted. This does not make the suffering of a Muslim less tragic; it just makes it less likely.”
“In any given year, the number of Christians killed by extremist groups is rarely less than 4,000—often more than in the rest of the world combined.”
Islamist terrorists, Boko Haram, violently opposes female education and in 2014 kidnapped 276 schoolgirls. 82 remain in captivity twelve years later.
“In 2025, the conflict garnered international attention with United States president Donald Trump vowing military action in Nigeria if the attacks against Christians did not subside.”
“On October 31, President Donald Trump designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC). The designation comes despite the insistence of some government apologists that no such pattern of anti-Christian violence (which might rightly be called genocide) exists.”
Nigeria’s political leaders are on record saying the targeting of Christians is a hoax and “profiling.” They say the violence is not so much religious as fights for power over land and resources or tribal ethnicities. The government says it has limited arms and ammunitions, not sufficient to police the entire nation. Likely, all these variables are at play, but clearly, Christians are dying in record numbers and local survivors are saying terrorist militias who catch them ask, “Are you a Christian or a Muslim? If you say you are a Christian, they shoot you.”
“Many Christians encounter severe challenges for their faith today… In parts of the Middle East, Christians face severe threats. Many endure violence, forced displacement, and loss of homes due to religious conflict…In North Korea, believers experience life-threatening conditions under strict government control.
Practicing faith can lead to imprisonment or worse, showing extreme risks associated with persistence in belief. Despite economic progress, in China, governmental control hampers religious expression. Christians there often face arrest for unregulated worship, illustrating a stark clash between faith and the state. African regions experience both violent and structural persecution.”
“Persecution, in its biblical sense, signifies the suffering faced by believers due to their faith. It encompasses various forms of hostility and oppression. The objective is often to deter or extinguish faith altogether…Opponents of the faith use threats, violence, and exclusion.
We could “understand these types and characteristics of persecution:
- Physical: Violence and martyrdom.
- Social: Ostracism and rejection.
- Legal: Prosecution under unfair laws.
- Verbal: Insults and slander.
- Economic: Loss of livelihood.
- Psychological: Intimidation and threats.”
Scripture provides considerable instruction and solace regarding persecution.
Matthew 5:10, states, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This verse highlights the spiritual honor associated with persecution. John 15:20 reminds believers of Jesus’ words: “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” In Matthew 10:22, Jesus warns, “and you will be hated by all for my name's sake.” Another guiding verse is Luke 6:28, which advises, “Bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” And then the promise of Rom. 8:35, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?”
In the West, specifically Canada and the United States, I don’t use the term “persecution” because what’s happening here thankfully does not compare with what’s taking place in Nigeria. I use the term, “harassment.”
Certainly, harassment of Christians is increasing in a variety of forms, some overt and physically threatening, a lot subtle and gradual suppression of influence.
“Restrictions on the public expression of faith, are increasing in Canada.” This includes “religiously motivated hate crimes.”
“Between 2021 and 2024, at least 44 churches in Canada were burned to the ground, with 24 confirmed as arson.” “Rigid interpretation and application of the principle of secularism have led to the suppression of religious expression in public.” “In December 2024, Premier Francois Legault of Quebec announced a proposal to ban praying in public, saying; ‘Seeing people praying in the streets, in public parks, is not something we want in Quebec.’”
“Alberta’s Child and Family Services barred a Christian couple from adopting a child because their religious views about sexuality…were incompatible with ‘the official position of the Alberta government.” Many more such illustrations could be listed, for Canada seems bent upon embracing a leftist, secularist system that outdoes the failing nations of Europe. Canada is monthly a paler reflection of the free country it once was.
In the USA, “hostility against Christian churches…has surged, with incidents increasing from 50 in 2018 to over 400 in 2024, according to Family Research Council (FRC) reports. These incidents, including vandalism, arson, and bomb threats, escalated significantly after 2022, with high concentrations in states like California.”
An estimated “more than 70 million Christians have been martyred over the last two millennia, more than half of which died in the 20th century under fascist and communist regimes.” Persecution of Christians worldwide today is at an all-time high, with over 360 million Christians (1 in 7 worldwide) experiencing high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith. Nearly 5,000 Christians are killed annually for their faith.
There is nothing to say increased harassment or persecution cannot happen in the United States, and in fact what happens in Europe, usually travels across the pond.
How the Body of Christ responds to harassment and persecution will be challenges the Church faces in the coming days. We should not fear, but we should become informed, and be wise, watch, pray, then remain steadfast. And we must lean on fellow believers for encouragement, unity, and strength.
Well, we’ll see you again soon. This podcast is about Discerning What Is Best.
If you find this thought-provoking and helpful, follow us on your favorite podcast platform. For more Christian commentary, see my website, r-e-x-m as in Martin, that’s rexmrogers.com, or check my YouTube channel @DrRexRogers.
And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.
© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2026
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