Steve Brine joined MP and colleagues in Parliament on Wednesday 17th January as Open Doors released their 2018 World Watch List.
The World Watch List is Open Doors' annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians experience the most extreme persecution. Published every January, it is a unique, in-depth record of the places where faith in Jesus costs the most, helping to demonstrate the enormous scale of the persecution being faced by Christians around the world.
Measuring the scale and severity of persecution is a complex task. It is not always clear if and to what extent pressure felt by Christians, or even violence against them, is directly related to them being Christian. Sometimes, just living in a chaotic world creates substantial amounts of suffering for Christians and others alike.
The World Watch List 2018 figures are from the reporting period 1 November 2016 - 31 October 2017, and research methods and results have been independently audited by the International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF).
This global survey is based on a comprehensive scoring system that measures the degree of freedom Christians have to live out their faith in five spheres of life - private, family, community, national and church life - plus a sixth sphere measuring levels of violence.
The methodology provides 'persecution points' for each sphere. As a result of the World Watch List process, each country gets a specific final score and is ranked accordingly.
For the fifth year in a row, the level of overall persecution has risen. North Korea remains number one on the list – but only just. Afghanistan is only one point below it. India – the world's largest democracy – has risen to its highest ever position of 11, as Hindu nationalists continue to attack other religious minorities. Islamic extremism continues to strangle the expression of the Christian faith, fuelling persecution in eight out of the top ten countries.
Steve Brine said: "As persecution increases, so do the needs of Christians all over the world. It was very useful for me to meet with the Open Doors team and learn that in over 50 countries around the world, Open Doors' underground networks are providing persecuted believers with Bibles and Christian literature, theological training, emergency relief, livelihood training, trauma care and advocacy support.
"None of this work would be possible without the generosity and commitment of Open Doors supporters, many of whom live in Winchester & Chandler's Ford, and I know the team are incredibly grateful."
More information ...