Churches burned. Christians beheaded. Catholic communities driven underground. Governments forcing silence upon those who profess fidelity to the gospel.
These experiences are not confined to those of the early Church or to the missionaries and converts in far-off pagan lands centuries ago. The persecution of Christians is happening right now -- and it is closer to home than you may realize.
Throughout the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and even in the West, Christian communities are being targeted for their beliefs, whether through violence or public policy, and it's a trend that continues to escalate.
Moral theologian and news analyst Dr. Thomas Williams incisively juxtaposes the still relatively unknown global Christian persecution of today with that of previous epochs, describing it in its various forms and providing insight into what it means for the Church and for society at large. He also provides valuable advice on how these outrages can be remedied and what Christians can do to prepare for what is to come.
In 2020, according to the World Watch List published by Open Doors, 340 million Christians were facing "high levels of persecution." Dr. Williams masterfully reveals the state of affairs in countries that systematically persecute Christians, such as North Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Nigeria, India, China, and Pakistan. In many cases, Christians are forced to flee these countries or face economic repercussions, forced conversions to Islam, imprisonment, violence, torture, and even death.
Dr. Williams also shows how Christian persecution has been with us since the beginning during the life of Jesus, from the time of His infancy to His death on the Cross. You'll learn what Jesus said in the Bible about coming persecutions, as well as about the trials and martyrdom that His apostles endured and the hardships of the early Christians, including the five virgins who are commemorated in the Roman Canon of the Holy Mass.
Dr. Williams also explores why Christians are persecuted. He reveals Voltaire's and Gibbon's thoughts on how Christians were vilified and how attempts to rewrite history--to blame Christian persecution on Christians themselves!--originally surfaced. Moreover, you will see how modern attacks against Christians spring from six primary sources: atheism, radical Islam, Hindu nationalism, totalitarianism, academia, and Satanism. In the words of St. John Paul II, "The Church has once again become a Church of martyrs."
Essential reading for anyone committed to holding fast to the Faith in the face of an uncertain future, the book also explains:
- How Christians are globally experiencing white and red martyrdom due to their beliefs
- Why some who preach tolerance are intolerant of Christians
- Ways to avoid fatalism and resist the increased persecutions of Christians
- How to assist, through practical and spiritual means, those who are attacked
- How examples and words of the saints can inspire you to grow in virtue and remain steadfast
A 2018 visiting research fellow for the Center for Ethics and Culture at Notre Dame University, Thomas D. Williams has written widely on theology, philosophy, ethics, and spirituality, and his 15 books include Who Is My Neighbor? Personalism and the Foundations of Human Rights and The World As It Could Be: Catholic Social Thought for a New GenerationWilliams teaches theology at St. John's University Rome campus and has also done extensive media work, serving as consultant and commentator on faith, ethics, and religion for NBC, CBS, and Sky News in the UK. He was appointed by the Holy See as spokesman for the Synod of Bishops in 1997 and again in 2001.
