July 13, 2025
I recently flipped through the pages of Voice of the Martyrs’ valuable 365 daily devotionals on the church and persecution, and I came across the entry about Lebanon. A Lebanese woman shared her experiences of attacks on Christians during the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990). I grew up in Lebanon during the last eight years of this devastating conflict.
Although I was too young to fully remember, I was injured when one of the Muslim armed groups launched a rocket at our school playground while we were playing. Tragically, one girl was killed by shrapnel.
As I continued reading the woman’s story, she recounted that the final phase of the civil war was the most destructive for her Christian community. I did not experience that phase firsthand, as my parents relocated our family to my maternal grandmother’s village, deep in Christian territory in the mountains. But there was one notable omission in the devotional story – that the destruction brought on the Christian areas in Beirut was not caused by Muslims but rather by infighting among Christians.
As president of 21Wilberforce, as well as previously while with the World Evangelical Alliance, I connect with church leaders from around the world to discuss the persecution they face. Oftentimes, our discussions shift from the topic of persecution to the need, sometimes urgent, for reconciliation and healing among Christians. Our churches could be divided along tribal or ethnic lines, or by the hurt of pain and past violence. Therefore, we find ourselves seeking reconciliation within our Christian communities first. Without this foundation, we cannot effectively confront persecution from external religious or tribal groups or governments.
Indeed, one of our key initiatives focuses on this very issue. We are equipping pastors and denominational leaders in several Asian countries with a Biblical framework for peacebuilding, reconciliation, and healing the wounds of conflict.
Encouraging our communities to embrace one another and heal their wounds is often a prerequisite, or occurs in tandem, with our efforts to promote religious freedom in society and to end persecution.
Please pray for our meetings, initiatives, and partnerships with Christians in Africa, India, Asia, and the Middle East. May our work support healing and unity within the church. As Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35, NIV).