Iran's Christian Church Shows Growth Amid Turmoil, Evangelist Reports
by Jim Brown
January 11, 2006
(AgapePress) - - An American evangelist says Iran's hard line government is putting pressure on Christians and church activity in that country. Reportedly Iran's new president, who has made headlines with his anti-Semitic remarks, is also leading a crackdown on Christianity. Evangelist Sammy Tippit, a minister and broadcaster who airs his Christian television program into Iran through satellite, says the church in Iran is growing even as persecution there increases. "One of the things that has happened," he says, "is that when threats begin to come against Christians, those who are in leadership are pressed into a corner where they have to raise up other leaders because they know that they could be taken away at any moment."
Somehow, Tippit observes, "God just has way of turning those type things into something good for his glory." But as reports of escalating persecution against Christians in Iran increase, he says many Christians live under the constant threat of harassment, imprisonment, or even death.
"We do know of some instances where people have been arrested, the U.S. Christian points out. "Fortunately, there's been no one put in prison at this point, but there have been people arrested from just having been meeting together with other Christians in their homes."
Also, Tippit recounts an incident in which a Turk was killed for sharing his Christian faith. The evangelist says this believer "wanted to reach his people, some of the Turkish people inside Iran, and he was sharing the gospel with them. And just within the last week and a half he's been martyred."
Sammy Tippit Ministries does worldwide evangelization by partnering with local churches and by building relationships with church and national leaders for the purpose of ministry and soul winning. According to the ministry website, it is part of the organization's mission to "go to the difficult places" as God has called STM to ministry in many of the unreached cities of the world and to many locations that are in turmoil or off limits to outsiders.
In addition to using modern technology to reach out to the people of Iran with the gospel, STM is currently engaged in an extensive outreach to the Middle East, with Tippit traveling and conducting leadership conferences and evangelistic meetings in several areas throughout the region.
Allie Martin, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
