Open Doors

Last updated
Open Doors
Founded1955
Founder Brother Andrew
TypeChristian charitable organisation
Legal status Stichting
FocusSupporting persecuted Christians worldwide
Area served
70 countries
Key people
 Brother Andrew
Revenue
$116.3 million (2015; including affiliates)
Website www.opendoors.org

Open Doors is a non-denominational mission supporting persecuted Christians around the world. They work with local partners to distribute Bibles and Christian literature, give discipleship training [1] and provide practical support, such as emergency relief aid. Open Doors' stated aims are to raise awareness of global persecution, mobilising prayer, support and action among Christians from around the world. It is based in Ermelo, The Netherlands. Open Doors is also a member of the Forum of Bible Agencies International.

Contents

History

Open Doors was founded in 1955 by Andrew van der Bijl, a Dutchman more widely known as Brother Andrew, when he decided to smuggle Bibles to persecuted Christians in Communist Poland. [2] He continued this work in smuggling Bibles to many of the Soviet-controlled countries and in 1957 was given a blue Volkswagen Beetle which he used to make deliveries within the Communist bloc. [3] With this new car he was able to carry more literature. Thereafter, the work of Open Doors continued to expand as it extended its network throughout Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. The name "Open Doors" referencing that of a welcoming group due to the doors being open at all times. He was responsible for smuggling millions of Bibles behind the Iron Curtain. [4]

On 18 June 1981, Open Doors delivered one million contraband Chinese Bibles in one night to a beach near the city of Shantou in southern China on a mission they named Project Pearl. Project Pearl was carried out by an international crew of 20, led by Brother David. A semi-submersible, 137-foot barge, named Gabriella, was loaded with 232 waterproof, poly-wrapped, one-ton packages containing a million Chinese Bibles. [5] A 97-foot tugboat named Michael was used to tow Gabriella to the beach, weaving through a maze of anchored Chinese navy ships. The crew arrived at the beach at 9 pm. 10,000 Chinese Christians had gathered to bring the Bibles to shore and then deliver them all over China. [6] Time magazine described Project Pearl as "A remarkable mission… the largest operation of its kind in the history of China." [7]

In 1988, Open Doors used Glasnost [8] as an opportunity to openly provide one million Russian Bibles to the Russian Orthodox Church, at a cost of $2.5 million. [9] Open Doors partnered with the United Bible Societies to complete the task in just over one year. [10]

In 2005, 428,856 people from over 70 different countries signed Open Doors' global Right to Believe petition, saying Yes to religious liberty and No to the UN's Defamation of Religions Resolution. [11] The petition was presented to the UN in New York in December 2010. [12]

In 2015, Open Doors (including its affiliates) delivered 3 million Bibles and literature, and delivered relief and aid to 239,164 people. [13] In 2018, the USA organization spent $19,291,134 on programs to the persecuted church with $4.7 M spent on fundraising and $2.8 on administration. [14]

In 2022, it would have programs in 70 countries. [15] [4]

On September 27, 2022, Brother Andrew, the founder of Open Doors, died at age 94 at his home in Harderwijk, Netherlands. [16] [17]

Programs

Open Doors and its affiliates conduct programs in many countries: [18]

World Watch List

The organization publishes an annual World Watch List which ranks countries by the severity of persecution faced by active Christians. The WWL is based on research and comparison of field researchers, external experts, academics[ who? ], and publicly available research documents but is subjective. In 2012, the methodology of the WWL was comprehensively revised in order to provide greater credibility, transparency, objectivity and scientific quality.[ citation needed ] In 2013, further refinement of the methodology took place. [22] Countries are ranked on a scale from 0 to 100 depending on the persecution of church life, national life, community life, family life, private life and violence against Christians. Countries are categorized under "Extreme Persecution", "Very High Persecution" or "High Persecution". In 2021, all top 50 countries were in both the "Extreme Persecution" and "Very High Persecution" categories for the first time since the World Watch List was originally published. [23] In 2022, Afghanistan overtook North Korea to become the country with the highest level of persecution. North Korea returned to the top of the list in 2023, with the highest levels of persecution ever seen. [24] The report found Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa at the epicenter of violence against Christians. [25]

The 2024 list [26] revealed that the number of Christians suffering persecution and discrimination for their faith has risen to 365 million. [27]

Extreme levels of persecution

  1. Flag of North Korea.svg  North Korea
  2. Flag of Somalia.svg  Somalia
  3. Flag of Libya.svg  Libya
  4. Flag of Eritrea.svg  Eritrea
  5. Flag of Yemen.svg  Yemen
  6. Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria
  7. Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan
  8. Flag of Sudan.svg  Sudan
  9. Flag of Iran.svg  Iran
  10. Flag of the Taliban.svg  Afghanistan
  11. Flag of Syria.svg  Syria
  12. Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia

Very high levels of persecution

  1. Flag of Mali.svg  Mali
  2. Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria
  3. Flag of Iraq.svg  Iraq
  4. Flag of Myanmar.svg  Myanmar
  5. Flag of Maldives.svg  Maldives
  6. Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
  7. Flag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso
  8. Flag of Laos.svg  Laos
  9. Flag of Cuba.svg  Cuba
  10. Flag of Mauritania.svg  Mauritania
  11. Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco
  12. Flag of Uzbekistan.svg  Uzbekistan
  13. Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh
  14. Flag of Niger.svg  Niger
  15. Flag of the Central African Republic.svg  Central African Republic
  16. Flag of Turkmenistan.svg  Turkmenistan
  17. Flag of Nicaragua.svg  Nicaragua
  18. Flag of Oman.svg  Oman
  19. Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia
  20. Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia
  21. Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia
  22. Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam
  23. Flag of Bhutan.svg  Bhutan
  24. Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico
  25. Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt
  26. Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique
  27. Flag of Qatar.svg  Qatar
  28. Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DRC
  29. Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia
  30. Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon
  31. Flag of Brunei.svg  Brunei
  32. Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros
  33. Flag of Tajikistan.svg  Tajikistan
  34. Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan
  35. Flag of Jordan.svg  Jordan
  36. Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia
  37. Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey

See also

Related Research Articles

Religious persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or a group of individuals as a response to their religious beliefs or affiliations or their lack thereof. The tendency of societies or groups within societies to alienate or repress different subcultures is a recurrent theme in human history. Moreover, because a person's religion frequently determines his or her sense of morality, worldview, self-image, attitudes towards others, and overall personal identity to a significant extent, religious differences can be significant cultural, personal, and social factors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Persecution</span> Systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group

Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group. The most common forms are religious persecution, racism, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these terms. The inflicting of suffering, harassment, imprisonment, internment, fear or pain are all factors that may establish persecution, but not all suffering will necessarily establish persecution. The threshold of severity has been a source of much debate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Evangelical Alliance</span> Global organization

The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) is an interdenominational organization of evangelical Christian churches with 600 million adherents that was founded in 1846 in London, England, to unite evangelicals worldwide. WEA is the largest international organization of evangelical churches. It has offices at the United Nations in New York City, Geneva, and Bonn. It brings together nine regional and 143 national evangelical alliances of churches, and over one hundred member organizations. Moreover, a number of international evangelical denominations are members of the WEA. As of March 2021, the Secretary General of the WEA is German theologian Thomas Schirrmacher.

The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) is an international nonprofit organization whose mission is to defend the human rights of persecuted Christians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew van der Bijl</span> Dutch Christian missionary (1928–2022)

Andrew "Anne" van der Bijl, known in English-speaking countries as Brother Andrew, was a Dutch Christian missionary and founder of the Christian organization Open Doors. He was known for smuggling Bibles and other Christian literature into communist countries during the Cold War and, because of his activities, he was nicknamed "God's Smuggler".

The beliefs and practices of Jehovah's Witnesses have engendered controversy throughout their history. Consequently, the denomination has been opposed by local governments, communities, and religious groups. Many Christian denominations consider the interpretations and doctrines of Jehovah's Witnesses heretical, and some professors of religion have classified the denomination as a cult.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aid to the Church in Need</span> International pastoral aid organization of the Catholic Church

Aid to the Church in Need is an international Catholic pastoral aid organization, which yearly offers financial support to more than 5,000 projects worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Saudi Arabia</span> Religious demographic in Saudi Arabia

Accurate religious demographics are difficult to obtain in Saudi Arabia, but there are approximately 2.1 million Christians in Saudi Arabia in 2020. Christians in Saudi Arabia are reported to face widespread discrimination and harassment, including both foreign-born Christians and native Christians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Somalia</span>

Christianity is a minority religion in Muslim-majority Somalia. According to a report by the Somali Bible Society in 2023, there is estimated population of 178,869 Christian practitioners in Somalia. The Somali population is about 19 million as of 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Yemen</span>

Christianity is a minority religion in Yemen. The Yemeni constitution mentions religious liberty. There are three churches in Aden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Nigeria</span> Christianity in Nigeria

Christianity in Nigeria represents one of several religious traditions in the country, including Islam and Traditional African religions.

Religion in Mali is predominantly Islam with an estimated 95 percent of the population being Muslim, with the remaining 5 percent of Malians adhere to traditional African religions such as the Dogon religion, or Christianity. Atheism and agnosticism are believed to be rare among Malians, most of whom practice their religion daily, although some are Deist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Saudi Arabia</span> Religion in the country

Islam is the state religion of Saudi Arabia.

Christianity is a minority in Heilongjiang, a province of China. There are millions of Christians, however. It is an area of rapid growth of Christianity. The Shouters are present in the province. Heilongjiang has persecution of Christians. Harbin has Heilongjiang Provincial Protestant Bible School. Churches of Christianity in Harbin include Harbin Nangang Christian Church, Church of the Intercession in Harbin, Sacred Heart Cathedral of Harbin. Heilongjiang used to have more than 100,000 orthodox. Saint Sophia Cathedral in Harbin is a former Russian Orthodox Church. The current church, Pokrov Church has been reopened in 1984 and has services in Chinese. Huangshan has an orthodox churchyard.

International Christian Concern (ICC) is an ecumenical, non-governmental, non-partisan Christian organization, located in Washington, DC, whose concern is the human rights of Christians and religious minorities. Its mission is to help religious minorities from all forms of persecution through assistance, advocacy, and awareness.

North Korea ranks as the third least democratic country in the world in the Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index, while The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal's Index of Economic Freedom places the country as the one with least economic freedom. According to the Press Freedom Index, North Korea has the least free press in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antireligious campaigns of the Chinese Communist Party</span> State-sponsored campaigns against religion in the Peoples Republic of China

Antireligious campaigns of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are a series of policies and practices, including the promotion of state atheism, coupled with its persecution of people with spiritual or religious beliefs, in the People's Republic of China. Antireligious campaigns were launched in 1949, after the Chinese Communist Revolution, and they continue to be waged against Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, and members of other religious communities in the 21st century. State campaigns against religion have escalated since Xi Jinping became Chinese Communist Party general secretary in 2012. For Christians, government decrees have mandated the widespread removal of crosses from churches, and in some cases, they have also mandated the destruction of houses of worship. In Tibet, similar decrees have mandated the destruction of Tibetan Buddhist monastic centers, sacred sites, and monastic residences; the denial of the Tibetans' right to freely access their cultural heritage; and the ongoing persecution of high Buddhist lamas as well as Buddhist nuns and monks. The persecution initiated in 1999 by Jiang Zemin against Falun Gong continues unabated with widespread surveillance, arbitrary detention, imprisonment, and torture. In Xinjiang, the CCP has arbitrarily detained more than a million Muslims in internment camps. In addition, the CCP's policies have included forced labor, suppression of Uyghur religious practices, political indoctrination, forced sterilization, forced contraception, and forced abortion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-Christian sentiment</span> Religious intolerance against the practitioners of Christianity

Anti-Christian sentiment, also referred to as Christophobia or Christianophobia, constitutes the fear of, hatred of, discrimination, and/or prejudice against Christians, the Christian religion, and/or its practices.

The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church is an observance within the Christian calendar in which congregations pray for Christians who are persecuted for their faith. It falls on the first Sunday of November, within the liturgical period of Allhallowtide, which is dedicated to remembering the martyrs and saints of Christianity. The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church is observed by many Christian denominations, with over 100,000 congregations honoring the holiday worldwide. Congregations focus on "praying for individuals, families, churches, or countries where Christians are facing hard situations." Additionally, many congregations donate funds from their collection of tithes and offerings on the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church to NGOs that support human rights of persecuted Christians, such as Voice of the Martyrs, International Christian Concern, and Open Doors.

References

  1. ↑ Green, George W. (2003). Special use vehicles: an illustrated history of unconventional cars and trucks worldwide. McFarland. p. 151. ISBN   0-7864-1245-3 . Retrieved 2009-04-06.
  2. ↑ Hertzke, Allen D. (2004). Freeing God's children. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN   0-7425-0804-8 . Retrieved 2009-04-06.
  3. ↑ Desmond, Kevin (2005). The Least Likely: If God Can Use Them, He Can Use You!. Kregel Publications. p. 113. ISBN   0-8254-6061-1 . Retrieved 2009-04-07.
  4. 1 2 Darling, Daniel (March 29, 2021). "Hide It Under a Bushel? Maybe". Christianity Today. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Open Doors: Project Pearl - 25th Anniversary of Delivering 1 Million Bibles to China". Christian Today (Press release). 24 June 2006. Retrieved 2018-01-20.
  6. ↑ Hattaway, Paul (May 8, 2007). "Brother David "God's smuggler to China" had died at 70 today". Radio Free China. Assist News Service. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  7. ↑ Hoyle, Russ; Wong, Bing W (1981-10-19). "Risky Rendezvous at Swatow". TIME . Archived from the original on October 15, 2010. Retrieved 2009-04-07.
  8. 1 2 "Local News in Brief: Santa Ana Group to Legally Ship Million Bibles to Russia". Los Angeles Times . 1988-08-06. p. 2. ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved 2009-04-07.
  9. ↑ Brodeur, Nicole (1988-10-15). "OC charity to ship first load of Bibles to Soviets by Dec. 25". Orange County Register . p. b.08. ISSN   0886-4934. ProQuest   272237755. (Registration required)
  10. ↑ Owen, Mary (1989-12-30). "County-based ministry has sent 1 million Bibles to Christians in USSR". Orange County Register . p. E.05. ISSN   0886-4934. ProQuest   272433825. (Registration required)
  11. ↑ Marking, J. G. (2005). A Voice Is Calling: Living the Life You Know Exists. A Voice Is Calling. p. 117. ISBN   1-933204-07-9 . Retrieved 2009-04-06.
  12. ↑ "Open Doors' Global Petition Presented at United Nations - Open Doors USA". Open Doors USA. December 9, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Open Doors USA 2015 annual report" (PDF). Open Doors USA. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  14. ↑ Open Doors USA 2018 annual report. Open Doors USA website Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  15. ↑ "HOW WE SUPPORT". opendoors.org. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Brother Andrew · Serving Persecuted Christian's Worldwide". www.opendoors.org. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  17. ↑ Obituaries, Telegraph (2022-09-29). "Brother Andrew, missionary who fearlessly crossed borders to smuggle Christian literature into Communist lands – obituary". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  18. ↑ George Thomas Kurian, Mark A. Lamport, Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States, Volume 5, Rowman & Littlefield, USA, 2016, p. 1688
  19. ↑ Dykstra, Jerry. "Preparing for Persecution in Indonesia". Christian Broadcasting Network. Retrieved 2009-04-07.
  20. ↑ Sentinel staff (Oct 13, 2017). "Ottawa County Patriots to host event about Christian persecution". Holland Sentinel. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  21. ↑ "Nigeria's Christian death toll gets tepid response from West | Terry Mattingly". www.yahoo.com. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
  22. ↑ "World Watch List Ranking Methodology". Archived from the original on 2017-11-15.
  23. ↑ "World Watch List 2021: Trends · Serving Persecuted Christian's Worldwide". www.opendoors.org. Retrieved 2021-10-27.
  24. ↑ "World Watch List: Trends · Serving Persecuted Christian's Worldwide". www.opendoors.org. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  25. ↑ "The 50 Countries Where It's Hardest to Follow Jesus in 2023". News & Reporting. 17 January 2023. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  26. ↑ "World Watch List 2024". www.opendoors.org. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  27. ↑ eliot.kern (2024-01-17). "World Watch List 2024 reveals rise in Christian persecution - Eternity News" . Retrieved 2024-01-17.
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