Egypt and Persecuted Christians

Egypt is the news for the 6th straight day and it is obvious why. Crowds are violating a curfew put on them by the government and chanting for the dictator's removal. Tanks line the center of Cairo and fighter planes fly overhead, and yet the people remain, defiant and calling still for the change.

As far as the persecuted church is concerned, Egypt isn't the worst offender. Open Doors places them at number 19 this year, slightly up from 20 in 2010. Christians were recently allowed to put Christian on their ID cards vice Muslim, and the government has reduced the number of crackdowns on the church. Christians do, however, still face discrimination and families of recent converts pressure them to return to Islam. As with several countries on the list, the persecution does not come directly from the government in many cases, but rather from family pressure.

Egypt is part of Christianity's history, from essentially the start until the Muslim expansion just prior to the Crusades. It would be nice if these governmental changes result in Egypt once again regaining some prominence in the church.

We shall see how this plays out.

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