Christian Emergency Podcast

In January 2024, a Coptic Christian woman was kidnapped and forcibly converted to Islam in Egypt. Irene Ibrahim Shehata, a 21-year-old medical student at Asyut National University disappeared between her mid-term exams. Her frantic family sought help from the police, but none was provided. Why? What was going on?

Sadly, Irene’s case is neither isolated nor rare. In Egypt, and other countries, Christian women are “disappeared,” kidnapped by Muslims, forcibly converted, married off and enslaved. How does this happen in the 21st century? Who is driving this trafficking of Christian women? What can be done to combat this evil?

“Lindsay,” an associate with Coptic Solidarity, joins the Christian Emergency Podcast to shed light on this evil pattern playing out. She answers these questions and more as she brings this issue to light; an issue many would rather leave concealed in darkness.

As you learn about the plight of these Christian women and girls, please pray for them. Pray for their families. Pray for their release and return. And pray for their abductors, that in their hearts they may be convicted of their actions, repent and come to faith in Christ.  

If you find this episode helpful, please give us a positive rating and review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Also share this episode with a friend so they too can be blessed by these insights.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

In early 2024, the Christian Emergency Alliance visited the Christians of Nigeria’s Middle Belt region. Nigeria’s Middle Belt is known as one of the world’s largest swaths of Christian persecution today.

The threats are vast. Even in recent weeks, multiple attacks have targeted Christians. Hundreds have been kidnapped, including children at their schools. Hundreds more have been murdered by Jihadists and criminals. Many have been injured and thousands have been forcibly displaced from their homes.

The challenges are vast. But there are also massive ways for Christians around the world to engage and help, whether through prayer or active measures. On this episode of the Christian Emergency Podcast, Andy walks you through some of what he saw on the ground with Nigeria’s persecuted Christians.

Biblical ministry in blue, liberal cities pose many challenges. Pastor Chase Davis is familiar with them, having helped plant a church in Boulder, Colorado. Creeping persecution and open hostility have marked his church’s recent experience. You may recognize the same cultural collapse advancing in your own backyard. If so, this episode of the Christian Emergency Podcast has much for you to learn from.

In this encore episode, Chase offers thoughtful insight into how Christians can faithfully stand in an increasingly negative world. Drawing on his experiences as a missionary, church planter and pastor, Chase provides helpful context and encouragement for believers who have been confused by recent years.

Chase dives into the challenges arising from lockdowns, protests and ill-prepared churches. He also discusses concerns about institutions that have been compromised, captured or collapsed. This includes recent challenges with the Acts 29 church planting network.  

If you find this episode helpful, please give us a positive rating and review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Also share with a friend so they too can be blessed by these insights.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

Christian kids and teenagers today face a gauntlet of challenges, particularly when it comes to remaining faithful in our increasingly faithless cultures.

Christians parents are in a similar boat. Many have no clue how to help their young ones navigate today’s pressures. How do they even instruct their kids when things shift so swiftly? How do moms, dads or grandparents find their own bearings, let alone direct their families?

These are common frustrations shared by most Christian parents – even pastors and youth pastors. Fortunately, there are resources and leaders available to help you chart a course for your Christian kiddos and teens.

One such leader is Jason Jimenez of Stand Strong Ministries. Jason has delved deep into these issues and spent years helping and encouraging Christians on precisely these topics. He joins this episode of the Christian Emergency Podcast to quickly inject much-needed assistance in a digestible manner. Jason not only flags helpful context but also discusses the ample resources available through his and other aligned ministries.

Help has arrived for beleaguered parents and Christians. Believers have great materials, great truth and a great God on our side.

If you find this episode helpful, please give us a positive rating and review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Also share this episode with a friend so they too can be blessed by these insights.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

Cross-cultural missions is an exciting calling. But Christians may be surprised to learn there are real problems in the missions community. The woke theology many believers have recently discovered in their midst is not limited to our home countries. In fact, woke theology has wormed its way into other countries through western missionaries.

Missionaries getting ready to launch into the field may have no clue this is going on. Many pastors, missions committees and lay Christians are in the dark too. What is going on and how can churches respond?

In this encore episode, veteran missionary and author E.D. Burns joins the Christian Emergency Podcast to shed helpful daylight on this important topic. He shares helpful insights from his recent book, Ancient Gospel, Brave New World.

If this information is helpful to you, please give us a 5-star rating and a positive review. Likewise, share this episode with friends and fellow believers who need help standing up under mounting pressures.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

Many Christians today fear their faith may one day cost them their job. They are not sure what they should do.  Should they keep their faith a secret? Simply go along to get along? What would it be like if they actually got fired for following Christ? And how should the Church respond?

Dr. Aaron Edwards knows a thing or two about getting fired for faithful stands. He was recently fired from his teaching position at Cliff College in Britain. His offense: publicly speaking out about sin infiltrating the Church. This was too much for the “Christian” college. When internet rage demanded Aaron lose his job, his employer quickly capitulated.

On this encore presentation, learn from Dr. Edwards’ experience as he shares what he endured and also how God provided. His story reminds us that following Christ is high adventure, with plenty of drama but also loads of joy.

If this episode was helpful for you, please share it with your friends. Also give us a positive review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

Aaron Edwards (Twitter): @aaron_p_edwards

For Christians in the West, the concept of “tribe” might be an alien concept. For much of the world, however, the tribe is a normal part of everyday life. The tribe is the community of shared values and history, where jobs and insurance are provided, and where members are protected. The Bible also speaks of tribes and the importance of reaching them with the Gospel.  

But what about the Global Church? Could it be considered the Tribe of Christ? If so, how would that play out? What responsibilities would we have for one another? How would our own lives be different if we realized our extended families were actually tribes that needed to know Christ?

To talk through this important yet largely untouched topic, Charles McAllister joins this episode of the Christian Emergency Podcast. Charles has served for many years as a Christian missionary in Jordan, where he had a front row seat to Arab tribal life. He recognized that many of the features of tribal life mirrored ways Christians are called to live in community. Hospitality, history and identity were all hallmarks of the tribe. His insights are significant for Christian missions, as well as how we live out our lives in a hostile world.  

If you find this episode helpful, please give us a positive rating and review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Also share this episode with a friend so they too can be blessed by these insights.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

Disciple-Making Movements, or DMM, is a missions strategy that has been employed by missionaries across the world. Sometimes controversial, the missions model sought to help people come to Christ, even in countries where persecution was rife.

DMM followed an earlier, related strategy called Church-Planting Movements, or CPM. David Garrison helped pioneer CPM in the late 1990s and the missions strategy has morphed since then.

But what is DMM? How did it evolve from CPM? What do pastors and Christians need to know about the missional framework now that DMM is cropping up not just overseas, but in congregations across the West?

“Sean,” a pastor, former missionary, and former parachurch leader, joins the Christian Emergency Podcast to sketch out what DMM represents as well as its implications. Drawing from his extensive experience overseas, Sean offers rare insights into a topic many believers have never heard of before. With their eyes wide open, biblical Christians can make informed decisions on the type of churches, and they type of missions, they wish to advance.

If you find this episode helpful, please give us a positive rating and review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Also share this episode with a friend so they too can be blessed by these insights.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

Christians don’t know their Christian history. By and large that is true. However, the more we learn of our past, the better we understand our present. But how can busy believers today gain this insight?

One way is by listening to sermons delivered by great Christian pastors long ago. Troy Frasier joins the Christian Emergency Podcast to share how he brings lost sermons to life. These sermons, along with helpful and relevant historical context, can be listened to on the Revived Thoughts Podcast. On your commute to work or when carting kids to practice, you can listen to these engaging sermons.

Another fascinating resource discussed on today’s episode is the Martyrs and Missionaries Podcast. This program, hosted by Troy’s wife, provides similar insights. Instead of sermons, however, you learn about famous missionaries, martyrs and missional movements. The content is thoroughly researched and riveting.

If you find this episode helpful, please give us a positive rating and review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Also share this episode with a friend so they too can be blessed by these insights.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

Francis Schaeffer was an influential Christian author, thought leader and pastor who died decades ago. The material he produced is still available both in written and video forms. Much of it rings prophetic as we remind ourselves that it was published before many of us were born.

On this episode of the Christian Emergency Podcast, we examine one clip of Francis Schaeffer’s How Should We Then Live? documentary. Schaeffer examined a disturbing trend that suggested Christians would encounter extensive manipulation by elites and media.

The days Schaeffer warned of have arrived. How can biblical Christians recognize when manipulation is in play? How can they see clearly through the chaff? Today’s episode speaks to these issues and more.   

If this episode was helpful for you, please share it with your friends. Also give us a positive review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

The crazy times Christians live in is prompting many to wonder if perhaps we are living in the end times. Could the last generation be living right now? Could Jesus Christ come again in our lifetime? What are implications of such a possibility?

To help answer these questions, Pastor Howard Bass returns to the Christian Emergency Podcast. From southern Israel, Howard explains some of the signs and biblical reasons he finds persuasive in assessing the times.

If you find this episode helpful, please give us a positive rating and review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Also share this episode with a friend so they too can be blessed by these insights.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

Christians across the globe confront chaos, confusion and cultures hostile to their faith. No wonder many feel overwhelmed, like rabbits chased by wolves.

But Christians have effectively stood their ground despite hostilities throughout history. Many Christians do so today, even in the harshest countries on earth. How are they able to remain faithful and confident in the face of such withering odds.

One reason Christians have been able to faithfully endure is by adopting a “hunter mindset.” Christians can regard themselves as spiritual hunters, even in circumstances that suggest they are prey.

In this episode of the Christian Emergency Podcast, believers are reminded that they have abundant spiritual resources at their disposal. Among the threats facing Christians today, there are also overlooked opportunities.

In this counterintuitive approach, we examine what it would mean for Christians to toggle their outlook, so they can better view the world as spiritual hunters.

If you find this episode helpful, please give us a positive rating and review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Also share this episode with a friend so they too can be blessed by these insights.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

Over the 2023 Christmas holiday, Christians living in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region were savagely attacked by Islamic Fulani herdsmen. This was only the latest in a string of atrocities targeting these Nigerian Christians. If you asked most government officials or media outlets, you would hear a litany of sterile explanations for this violence.

Some insist it is due to disputes over agricultural claims. Others suggest climate change is the culprit. And still others claim that competing mineral rights drive the violence.

But these are all lies. They are false narratives. Something far more sinister is afoot, and Christians around the globe need to discover what is actually going on. Only then will we be able to clearly speak out on behalf of our spiritual brothers and sisters in Nigeria.

But what is the truth behind the recurring violence against Christians in Nigeria? Zariyi Yusuf joins the Christian Emergency Podcast to shed much-needed light on this campaign that others want shrouded in darkness. Yusuf, a Nigerian Christian from the Middle Belt, has tracked these developments for years.

What Yusuf reveals is sobering. Simply put, there is a dedicated campaign to eliminate the Christian presence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. Put bluntly, there is a secret war targeting Nigeria's Christians. This campaign is well-funded, well-armed and well-coordinated. It progresses relentlessly, facilitated by government inaction, global distractions and false pretenses.

Even if the world shrugs its shoulders and looks away, biblical Christians must not. We must pray for the Christians of Nigeria; advocate for them, and do all we can to help in the midst of their trials.

If you find this episode helpful, please give us a positive rating and review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Also share this episode with a friend so they too can be blessed by these insights.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

Zariyi Yusuf (Twitter / X): @ZariyiYusufu

Christians by and large do not know Christian history. That is a lamentable fact we at the Christian Emergency Alliance strive to address. But one aspect of Christian history that is most suppressed today is that of muscular Christianity.

Christianity during the Middle Ages was forced to confront relentless Islamic aggression. When Christians responded – in the form of the Crusades or other actions – they sacrificed much and strove to help other Christians under fire.

But this is not the history most Christians know today. Most have been discipled by revisionist history that paints this period of Christian history in the worst possible light. The authors and architects of this revisionism are sometimes secular, sometimes Islamic. Fortunately, primary sources still exist to showcase what really happened.

On this episode of the Christian Emergency Podcast, Raymond Ibrahim joins the conversation to shed helpful light on this topic. Raymond is an accomplished historian and scholar of Islam. He has authored several books, including his most recent volume, Defenders of the West. Raymond borrows from that volume to connect dots between our Christian past and our present realities.

Christianity now faces a crisis of confidence. Warped versions of our history have been taught to generations, leading many to feel they have to constantly apologize for our past. The context introduced in this episode will help dispel the false narratives and revisionist history. God willing, it will help some believers regain their confidence in the Christian faith.

If you find this episode helpful, please give us a positive rating and review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Also share this episode with a friend so they too can be blessed by these insights.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

Just as they have throughout the history of the Church, women today are playing important roles in advancing the Gospel around the globe. Women have served in some of the most challenging places to make Christ known in spiritually dark lands. But for women who may be sensing a call to international missions, it can be tough to know what to think or how to prepare.

Emily Bennett, who served as a missionary with her husband in the Middle East, joins the Christian Emergency Podcast to shed some light on this important topic. Emily recognized there were books and resources available for ladies curious about foreign missions. But there was still a need for down-to-earth, approachable advice.

Emily and several other women stepped up to the plate and delivered just such a resource. Before You Go: Wisdom for Women Serving Internationally is a new book Emily has edited. It covers a range of important topics, and offers the wisdom of several women who draw from their experiences as missionaries.

If you find this episode helpful, please give us a positive rating and review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Also share this episode with a friend so they too can be blessed by these insights.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

The Apostle Paul famously served as a tentmaker to support himself during his ministry in the First Century. What does it look like for Christians today to follow in his entrepreneurial footsteps? How can tentmaking serve Kingdom priorities in the rainy days ahead?

On this episode of the Christian Emergency Podcast, Troy Albee – pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church on the South Shore of Boston – provides helpful insights from his own experience as an entrepreneur. Like Paul, Troy helped support himself while in ministry by identifying a need and developing the skills to meet it. In Trent’s case, he launched a successful lock and key business – South Shore Lock and Key.

Side hustles provide Christians additional income, flexibility and opportunities. Small business ventures also offer unexpected spiritual insights. You may be stretched and face rejection. But you will also discover new strengths, while finding opportunities to mentor the younger believers around you and engage the lost in your midst.   

Christians should not take all of this for granted. The cultural landscape is increasingly hostile. The workplace is too often a place where Christians are targeted and pressured to compromise. That is why Christian enterprise will play a critical role in the coming days.

If you find this episode helpful, please give us a positive rating and review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Also share this episode with a friend so they too can be blessed by these insights.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

On October 7, 2023, the terrorist organization Hamas brazenly attacked Israel. The savagery and evil unleashed by the Islamic militants stunned not only Israelis but the entire world. The attacks came on a holiday. Civilians – including women, children and the elderly – were targeted, tortured and murdered. Many were dragged back into the Gaza Strip as hostages; their fates unknown.

How are biblical Christians to process all of this? What was it like for believers in Israel? What can Christians around the world consider, when they contemplate the situation today in Israel and disturbing events that have unfolded globally in the following weeks? How can we as a spiritual Body pray for the traumatized and broken?

Pastor Howard Bass, who lives in southern Israel, joins the Christian Emergency Podcast to speak to these issues and more. He describes his church’s experience that fateful morning and how they have dealt with the fallout. Other topics addressed by Pastor Bass include the fragile state of unity among Jewish and Arab Christians in the region. He also shares how Christians around the world can shape their prayers for the situation in Israel, and also how they can prepare their own hearts for hard days ahead.  

If you find this episode helpful, please give us a positive rating and review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Also share this episode with a friend so they too can be blessed by these insights.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

When you think of Iran, what comes to mind? Troubling thoughts and fears? That would be understandable, given recent headlines from the Middle East.

But there is an encouraging story that’s playing out in Iran. It’s about the miraculous growth of Christianity in a country where it has been suppressed and persecuted.

Tat Stewart has a unique vantage point to share that story. Tat grew up in the land of Iran. He later served there as a missionary and pastor. He knows and loves its people. He also knows what the Church in Iran was like before the Islamist Revolution in 1979, what it went through during that turmoil, and how it persevered in the following decades. Tat had a front row seat to recent Christian history!

Tat joins the Christian Emergency Podcast to share these valuable insights. Those lessons will help you better understand our Christian history and cross-cultural missions. They will also help you better understand the dynamics at play in the present day.

Tat recently wrote a memoir titled No Stranger: to Iran, its People, and its Church. His insights are more fully captured in those pages, so you should get your hands on a copy. Listen, read and learn from this fascinating perspective; a perspective few westerners or Christians possess.

If you find this episode helpful, please give us a positive rating and review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Also share this episode with a friend so they too can be blessed by these insights.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

Armenian Christians are no strangers to tragedy. In the early Twentieth Century, the Armenian Genocide claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Armenian Christians at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. Today, in September 2023, Armenian Christians are again being targeted and cleansed from their ancient homeland.

Nagorno-Karabakh has been the home of Armenian Christians for over 1,700 years. But they are being systematically cleansed from these lands by Azerbaijan, who claim the region as their own. A grinding siege strangled Armenians there of food, water and electricity. Azerbaijan followed up by unleashing a lightning military assault. Today, in September 2023, forced deportations are underway. For the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, the ethnic and religious cleansing of Armenian Christians is in full force.

Christians around the globe must raise their voices and prayers for these families and churches under fire. You may not have heard of Nagorno-Karabakh before. You may not know what exactly is going on and why. How can Christians around the world respond?

To provide helpful context and answer these questions, Joel Veldkamp of Christian Solidarity International (CSI) joins the Christian Emergency Podcast. Joel has closely tracked this situation and can quickly bring believers up to speed.

If you find this episode helpful, please give us a positive rating and review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Also share this episode with a friend so they too can be blessed by these insights.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following:

Indigenous Christians in Uzbekistan have a heart to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to other nations. Praise God! However, many are unable to support these missionary efforts themselves. Is it just because they are live in a less affluent region? Or is there something more at play?

Local churches across the globe need to be self-propagating, self-governing and self-supporting. This last feature is often poorly developed or overlooked. James Cha, former missionary and Christian leader, joins the Christian Emergency Podcast to unpack what this means for the Church.

The Nevius Method is a missionary approach that emphasizes these three themes, in addition to healthy theology. The method is based off the approach used by John Livingstone Nevius, a missionary to China in the 19th Century. His method made a big impact on how Christians were discipled in China and Korea.

James suggests that this simple approach, rooted in simple obedience, would improve the health and strength of many local churches today. This is true of churches in Central Asia, Africa and even the West. Listen and learn how this could apply for missionaries overseas and also in your local fellowship.

If Christians faithfully tithe, even if they have little to offer, the effects are profound. On this episode, James shares from his personal experience to show how missionaries and Christians should consider incorporating the Nevius Method in their own settings.

If you find this episode helpful, please give us a positive rating and review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Also share this episode with a friend so they too can be blessed by these insights.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

Cultural Christianity has received a lot of negative press lately. Influential leaders have applauded its demise, insisting the collapse would be a net positive for the Church. But is this really the case?

Jamie Bambrick, a Christian from Northern Ireland, joins the Christian Emergency Podcast to challenge the prevailing narrative. Jamie recently published a video in defense of cultural Christianity and made several perceptive insights. On this episode, Jamie expands on those points and touches on related topics as well.

If you find this episode helpful, please give us a positive rating and review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Also share this episode with a friend so they too can be blessed by these insights.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

Christians today are alarmed by the rising pressures around them. So much of the growing hostility seems alien, angry and novel. But the truth is, the Church has encountered pressures since it was born. None of this is new.

To help us gain our bearings, Professor Louis Markos joins the Christian Emergency Podcast. Professor Markos teaches at the Texas Christian University and is the author of 25 books, covering such topics as the early Church, ancient Rome and Greece, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and apologetics.

On this episode, Professor Markos sheds helpful light on how the early Church responded to serious persecution in their own day. How was their experience similar to ours? What can we learn from them and apply in our own lives?

We must rediscover Christian history and the history of persecution. Today’s show helps do precisely this. Armed with this important insight, the pressures we face will be placed in better context. You will be encouraged, and our circumstances will be both less mysterious and frightening.   

If you find this episode helpful, please give us a positive rating and review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Also share this episode with a friend so they too can be blessed by these insights.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

From 2016 to 2018, Andrew Brunson struggled inside Turkish prisons. For the previous 23 years, he and his wife had served as Christian missionaries to Turkey’s small Christian community. But when he was imprisoned on false charges – and then pondered the very real prospect that he would be separated from his family for the rest of his life – Andrew descended into spiritual crisis.

In this encore episode, Andrew provides a raw look into the emotional turmoil that gripped him behind bars. Doubts and despair haunted him. Silence and sadness assaulted him. But God was at work drawing prayer towards the nation of Turkey. 

Learn what Andrew took away from his prison experience, after his surprise release following a criminal conviction.  And discover what he senses now coming for Christians throughout the west.  A dark wave is inbound. Christians must prepare now.

If you find this material helpful, please share it with your friends and leave us a five-star rating wherever you listen to your podcasts. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to the show, so you’ll never miss out when new episodes drop.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

How can Christians live joyfully in a wild world? How can you make your home a safe harbor in disturbing times?

Believers around the world might take a tip or two from Tom Bombadil, the enigmatic character of J.R.R. Tolkien’s famous trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. Peter Jackson may not have included Tom in his movies, but Tolkien believed he played an important role.  C.R. Wiley, pastor and author, agrees. He joins the Christian Emergency Podcast to share revealing insights gleaned from Tom Bombadil’s quirky but powerful example. He lays bare nuggets of wisdom buried in this story of hobbits, fellowship, darkness and light.   

If you find this material helpful, please share it with your friends and leave us a five-star rating wherever you listen to your podcasts. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to the show, so you’ll never miss out when new episodes drop.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

Biblical ministry in blue, liberal cities pose many challenges. Pastor Chase Davis is familiar with them, having helped plant a church in Boulder, Colorado. Creeping persecution and open hostility have marked his church’s recent experience. You may recognize the same cultural collapse advancing in your own backyard. If so, this episode of the Christian Emergency Podcast has much for you to learn from.

Chase offers thoughtful insight into how Christians can faithfully stand in an increasingly negative world. Drawing on his experiences as a missionary, church planter and pastor, Chase provides helpful context and encouragement for believers who have been confused by recent years.

Chase dives into the challenges arising from lockdowns, protests and ill-prepared churches. He also discusses concerns about institutions that have been compromised, captured or collapsed. This includes recent challenges with the Acts 29 church planting network.  

If you find this episode helpful, please give us a positive rating and review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Also share the show with a friend so they too can be blessed by these insights.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

The wave of Christian persecution hitting Manipur, India is massive. Dozens of Christians murdered. Over 120 churches attacked, some burned to the ground. Entire villages cleanses and home torched. Over 60,000 Christians displaced. Yet most Christians around the world haven’t heard a whisper about this violence.

For weeks, starting in early May 2023, Hindu mobs have been killing, burning and kidnapping their way through the countryside. Chaos has come for the tribal Christians of Manipur. This remote region sits in the far east of India. The attacks against the Christian community have been systematic and well-planned.

Little information has leaked out about these atrocities. Internet and phone lines were shut down, but only in the Christian districts. Fortunately, the Christian Emergency Alliance was able to expose some of this darkness and even send help to those suffering.

Christian persecution in India is real. Believers around the world need to know what is happening to their brothers and sisters in Christ in Manipur. They are not alone. We as their spiritual family must intercede for them and lift them up in our prayers. Learn about this unfolding tragedy on today’s episode of the Christian Emergency Podcast.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

Cross-cultural missions is an exciting calling. But Christians may be surprised to learn there are real problems in the missions community. The woke theology many believers have recently discovered in their midst is also being advanced overseas. These postmodern teachings arrived from our own shores through western missionaries. Biblical missionaries may find themselves shunned and shamed for holding to the ancient Gospel.

Christians preparing to launch into missions may have no clue this is going on. The pastors, missions committees and lay Christians who support these missionaries are likely in the dark too. How can churches discover exactly what is going on? How can you learn more and respond properly? How can we pray over this movement which has advanced quietly over decades?

Veteran missionary and author E.D. Burns joins the Christian Emergency Podcast to shed helpful daylight on this important topic. He shares thoughtful insights from his recent book, Ancient Gospel, Brave New World. Burns highlights both what is going well in today's missions efforts, and also areas for concern. But he also unpacks important lessons that will expand your understanding of theology, missions and evangelism. And if you really want to strengthen your understanding of these themes, get a copy of Burns' book: Ancient Gospel, Brave New World.

If this information is helpful to you, please give us a 5-star rating and a positive review.  Likewise, share this episode with friends and fellow believers who need help standing up under mounting pressures.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

How can you, your family, and your local church endure future persecution? By making an intentional decision today to live not by lies. Regardless of the country you live in, this episode will help you and your loved ones prepare to stand when pressures mount.

In this encore episode, which originally aired November 1, 2011, Rod Dreher joined Andy to share insights from his recent book, “Live Not By Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents.”  Listen in as Dreher shares insightful stories from Christians who endured persecution under the Soviet Union and the Communist Bloc.

You will discover helpful tips from those who have gone before us, and those who recognize alarming signs in our cultures today. You will also hear how Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, a dissident under the Soviets, encouraged the powerless to reject lies, especially mandated lies. 

If this information is helpful to you, please give us a positive rating and review. Likewise, share this episode with friends and fellow believers who need help standing up under mounting pressures.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

Rod Dreher (Twitter): @roddreher

Many Christians today fear their faith may one day cost them their job. They are not sure what to do.  Should they keep their faith secret? Simply go along to get along? What would it be like if they actually got fired for following Christ?

Dr. Aaron Edwards knows a thing or two about getting fired for faithful stands. Believe it or not, he was recently fired as a Christian teacher from a Christian college for a Christian stand.

His offense: publicly speaking out about sin infiltrating the Church. This was too much for Cliff College, a school in Britain. When internet rage mobs demanded Aaron lose his job, his employer quickly capitulated.

It was difficult for Aaron, his wife, and their five children. But there was also surprising joy in faithfully standing and seeing God and fellow believers respond. His story reminds us that following Christ is high adventure, with plenty of drama but also joy.

If this episode was helpful for you, please share it with your friends. Also give us a positive review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

Aaron Edwards (Twitter): @aaron_p_edwards

Francis Schaeffer was an influential Christian author, thought leader and pastor who died decades ago. The material he produced is still available both in written and video forms. Much of it rings prophetic as we remind ourselves that it was published before many of us were born.

On this episode of the Christian Emergency Podcast, we examine one clip of Francis Schaeffer’s How Should We Then Live? documentary. Schaeffer examined a disturbing trend that suggested Christians would encounter extensive manipulation by elites and media.

The days Schaeffer warned of have arrived. How can biblical Christians recognize when manipulation is in play? How can they see clearly through the chaff? Today’s episode speaks to these issues and more.   

If this episode was helpful for you, please share it with your friends. Also give us a positive review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

[Encore episode from May 2022] Christians in much of the world today face pressures. Few, however, face anything as intense as those Christians who lived under the first few decades of authoritarian rule in either the Soviet Union or Communist China. At least not yet.

While freedom and opportunity still remains, Christians today would be wise to consider the experiences of Christians under the Soviets and Chinese Communists. Though both situations shared many similarities, they developed in starkly different manners. Why did they differ so much? What lessons can we glean and apply in our own situations? And what cautionary flags can we recognize and avoid?

On this episode of the Christian Emergency Podcast, Andy examines a helpful case study of the Christian experience under the Soviets and Chinese. This comparison, produced originally by Nik Ripken in his book The Insanity of Obedience, provides many helpful insights for Christians today.

If you find this material helpful, please share it with your friends and leave us a five-star rating wherever you listen to your podcasts. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to the show, so you’ll never miss out when new episodes drop.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

Some prominent leaders in the Church today regard themselves as elite Christians. They may not admit to that if asked, but a spirit of elitism is clearly at work. This is nothing new. The history of faith is filled with examples of leaders overly concerned about their influence and standing among other elites.

But how does elite Christianity take root? How is it driving a wedge between Christians today? Can this growing rift be mended? Or is God shaking things up to refine his Church and reveal our true hearts? Importantly, what can Christian leaders do when they discover an elitist attitude within their own hearts?

Pastor Michael Clary recently took to Twitter to thoughtfully reflect on his own struggles with elitist tendencies. As he examined the faithful examples of his grandfather and great-grandfather, Pastor Clary was convicted by their obedience pastoring rural churches.

On this episode of the Christian Emergency Podcast, Pastor Clary shares insights into his recent examination of elite Christianity. He provides not only a clear picture of what is happening, but also encouraging ways leaders can step off the elitist path.

If this conversation was helpful for you, please share it with your friends. Also give us a positive review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

Michael Clary’s Twitter Feed: @dmichaelclary

Are local churches unknowingly supporting spiritual compromise on the mission field? What would that look like? And how could you, your pastor or missions committee recognize if problems existed?

James Cha, of the Crescent Project and I43 ministries, returns to the Christian Emergency Podcast to help answer these questions. Rooted in his experience as a missionary in Central Asia, James shares about missions strategies that risk compromising truth.

Learn about the proper role of contextualization in missions, and the dangers of over-contextualization. You will discover important insights about Insider Movements, Insider Bible Translations, and the confusion that both can cause for people seeking Christ.

If this information is helpful to you, please give us a 5-star rating and a positive review. Likewise, share this episode with friends and fellow believers who need help standing up under mounting pressures.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

The history of Christianity in Korea is a dramatic account that is both beautiful and tragic. The experience of Korea’s early Christian converts offer many insights for believers today around the world.

James Cha, of the Crescent Project and I43 ministries, joins Andy on this episode of the Christian Emergency Podcast. Listen in as he shares nearly forgotten tales of incredible faith and sacrifice.  But he also explores how compromise wormed its way into the Korean Church, particularly during the Japanese occupation before World War II.

In the world today, many Christians can relate to this tale of two Koreas. They feel the pressure building around them, and also the temptation to compromise and become politically correct. This episode reveals important lessons for believers today.

If this information is helpful to you, please give us a 5-star rating and a positive review. Likewise, share this episode with friends and fellow believers who could use some help standing up under mounting pressures.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

In some countries today, little emphasis is placed on boys and young men. But as Christians, we recognize that godly men play important roles in the Church. Those boys and young men are tomorrow’s shepherds.

And they will face spiritual wolves in their lives. In fact, most already do. How do we prepare them for those battles in cultures hostile to the Christian faith?

Shay Robbins, a director at Kanakuk Christian Camps, joins the Christian Emergency Podcast to share from his many years investing in the lives of young men. What he shares is relevant not only to dads and sons, but also to anyone with young people in their lives.

Listen in and learn how you can better prepare young men today for the spiritual wolves tomorrow.

If this information is helpful to you, please give us a 5-star rating and a positive review. Likewise, share this episode with friends and fellow believers who could use some help standing up under mounting pressures.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

If you are a Christian and do not know the name Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, it is high time you change that. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was a Russian Christian, author and survivor of the Soviet Union’s labor camps. He shocked the world through his writings, which exposed the horrors of the Communist camps. His works eviscerated lies and encouraged people to confront evil themselves.

Solzhenitsyn’s voice remains relevant for Christians today, as believers take stock of their cultural surroundings. Many of the societal ills called out by Solzhenitsyn have resurfaced in recent years around the world. An authoritarian impulse charges the air. Restrictions are ratcheting up on civil and religious liberties. How should Christians respond?

It is precisely these types of questions that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s writings can help answer. To help introduce all of this to a new generation of Christians, Ignat Solzhenitsyn – Aleksandr’s son – joins the Christian Emergency Podcast. Ignat unpacks his father’s story and reveals why his great works – like One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and The Gulag Archipelago – are worth reading even today.

These insights have broad application for Christians preparing today for pressures tomorrow.  If this conversation was helpful for you, please share it with your friends. Also give us a positive review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

In recent months, over 70 pregnancy resource centers have been firebombed. Federal and local law enforcement authorities did not prosecute the violent attackers. Militant Pro-Life groups like Jane’s Revenge were given a pass. No arrests were made.

But the government did not just slow walk cases. They sided against the attackers’ victims. Politicians pledged to investigate the pregnancy resource centers that were still smoldering. The FBI deployed large SWAT-style teams to arrest Pro-Life Christians on bogus charges in front of their wives and children. The process appeared designed to punish; the hallmarks of an intentional harassment campaign.

All this and more has unfolded in recent months following the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision. That ruling overturned Roe v. Wade and returned abortion policy decisions to the states.  Powerful elites, along with the multibillion-dollar abortion industry, raged in response.

What should Christians do when they are targeted for peacefully championing Life? Or simply being faithful in increasingly faithless cultures? How can Christians navigate the intimidation and pressures coming their way? How might God be moving in the midst of this darkness?

Reverend Jim Harden joins the Christian Emergency Podcast to share insights from his own experience. The CEO of CompassCare, Jim oversees pregnancy centers in New York. One of their pregnancy centers was firebombed by Pro-Abortion extremists. You will gain valuable insights from his perspective.

These insights have broad application for Christians preparing themselves today for more pressures tomorrow.  If this conversation was helpful for you, please share it with your friends. Also give us a positive review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

Africa remains important for the Church. In the coming generations, the continent will be home for a huge swath of the world’s population. And while there are many challenges facing Africa, including poverty, militant Islam and instability – there are also many exciting things taking place.

Karen Elliott of the Rafiki Foundation joins the Christian Emergency Podcast to share about some of those exciting developments, along with valuable context. She leans on her 30+ years of experience serving as a missionary and leading a missions organization in Africa, the Rafiki Foundation.

Karen discusses how Rafiki has launched classical Christian schools in multiple African nations, to bless orphans and the poor with an education that allows them to think and serve faithfully. The lessons she draws out shed helpful light on the situation in Africa, but also speak to circumstances facing the Church globally.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

For years, the Perspectives Course has been a go-to training option for Christians eager to learn about cross-cultural missions. Thousands have been blessed by the insight delivered through the course and its training text, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. Pastors, missions committees, future missionaries and even regular Christians hoping to learn more about God’s heart for the peoples have benefitted.

And while much of Perspectives is wonderful, you should be cautious about certain teachings embedded in the course. So warns Josh Manley, a pastor serving in the United Arab Emirates. Josh joins the Christian Emergency Podcast to highlight his concerns, particularly with Perspective’s favorable treatment of Church Planting Movements.

Church Planting Movements, or CPM, sound amazing. But as Josh points out, CPM is a specific methodology that, when looked at closely, may have problems. Is CPM more biblical or pragmatic? What do Christians taking the Perspectives Course need to consider? Listen in and learn as Josh unpacks this important issue, which has already made a profound impact on missions and the Church.

If you find this material helpful, please share it with your friends and leave us a five-star rating wherever you listen to your podcasts. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to the show, so you’ll never miss out when new episodes drop.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

Josh Manley (Twitter): @JoshPManley

On this episode of the Christian Emergency Podcast, we are joined by David Goodwin, president of the Association of Classical Christian Schools and co-author of the new book, Battle for the American Mind: Uprooting a Century of Miseducation.

If you find this material helpful, please share it with your friends and leave us a five-star rating wherever you listen to your podcasts. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to the show, so you’ll never miss out when new episodes drop.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

From 2016 to 2018, Andrew Brunson struggled inside Turkish prisons. For the previous 23 years, the American and his wife had served as missionaries with Turkey’s small Christian community. But when he was imprisoned on false charges – and then pondered the very real prospect that he would be separated from his family for the rest of his life – Andrew descended into spiritual crisis.

In today’s episode, Andrew provides a raw look into the emotional turmoil that gripped him behind bars. Doubts and despair haunted him. Silence and sadness assaulted his senses. But God was at work drawing prayer towards the nation of Turkey.  As much as he was broken down, Andrew eventually sensed he was being built back up. What was God up to?  

Learn what Andrew took away from his prison experience, after his surprise release following a criminal conviction. And discover what he senses is now coming for Christians throughout the west. A dark wave is inbound. Christians must prepare now.  Andrew longs to help you prepare to stand no matter how harsh your culture becomes. Listen to this episode to find out how, and include your family and friends who who need to prepare as well.

If you find this material helpful, please share it with your friends and leave us a five-star rating wherever you listen to your podcasts. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to the show, so you’ll never miss out when new episodes drop.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

Almost one year ago the world watched in horror as Afghanistan rapidly collapsed and the Taliban returned to power. Chaos engulfed the nation. Many would suffer tremendously under the country’s Islamist warlords, but few more seriously than the country’s Afghan Christians.

Today, little news emerges at all from Afghanistan. Even less is known about the country’s believers. How did they respond when everything collapsed? How are they faring today? How can they be helped and how can the global church pray for them?

The world’s attention may have moved on from Afghanistan. But wherever Christians are persecuted and suffering, there must the eyes of the Church remain. God is still on the move in Afghanistan.

To provide a rare and current window into the plight of Christians inside Afghanistan, “Luke” returns to the Christian Emergency Podcast. Luke provides helpful insight into the plight of Afghan Christians today, whether they are inside Afghanistan, stuck in a refugee camp or freshly arrived in new lands. He also provides clear guidance on how you can tailor your prayers and even help those who remain in harm’s way.

If you find this material helpful, please share it with your friends and leave us a five-star rating wherever you listen to your podcasts. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to the show, so you’ll never miss out when new episodes drop.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

How can Christians live joyfully in a wild world? How can you make your home a safe harbor in disturbing times? Believers around the world might take a tip or two from Tom Bombadil, the enigmatic character of J.R.R. Tolkien’s famous trilogy, The Lord of the Rings.

Peter Jackson may not have included Tom in his movies, but Tolkien believed he played an important role. C.R. Wiley, pastor and author, agrees. He joins the Christian Emergency Podcast to share revealing insights gleaned from Tom Bombadil’s quirky but powerful example. He exposes nuggets of wisdom buried in this story of hobbits, fellowship, darkness and light.

If you find this material helpful, please share it with your friends and leave us a five-star rating wherever you listen to your podcasts. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to the show, so you’ll never miss out when new episodes drop.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

What should you know about the Qur’an? How do Muslims think and view the world around them? How could a better understanding help when it comes to our relationships with neighbors, our Christian witness and even missions?

Matt Bennett, a former missionary in the Middle East, joins the Christian Emergency Podcast to answer these questions.  Now a professor at Cedarville University, Matt shares helpful insights from his new book, the Qur’an and the Christian. Matt blends the views of Islamic believers, secular Qur’an scholars and Christian missionaries to craft a very unique perspective. By combining this into one guide, Matt’s work will help equip Christians to share the biblical Gospel with friends and neighbors who follow Islam, no matter where you live.

If you find this material helpful, please share it with your friends and leave us a five-star rating wherever you listen to your podcasts. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to the show, so you’ll never miss out when new episodes drop.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

Christians in much of the world today face pressures. Few, however, face anything as intense as those Christians who lived under the first few decades of authoritarian rule in either the Soviet Union or Communist China. At least not yet.

While freedom and opportunity still remains, Christians today would be wise to consider the experiences of Christians under the Soviets and Chinese Communists. Though both situations shared many similarities, they developed in starkly different manners. Why did they differ so much? What lessons can we glean and apply in our own situations? And what cautionary flags can we recognize and avoid?

On this episode of the Christian Emergency Podcast, Andy examines a helpful case study of the Christian experience under the Soviets and Chinese. This comparison, produced originally by Nik Ripken in his book The Insanity of Obedience, provides many helpful insights for Christians today.

If you find this material helpful, please share it with your friends and leave us a five-star rating wherever you listen to your podcasts. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to the show, so you’ll never miss out when new episodes drop.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.

Christians in America—even fairly young Christians—can look back over their lives and recognize something has changed. They remember former days when the culture regarded Christians in a favorable light. You were in good standing if you were perceived as a Christian. But then there was a period when it wasn’t necessarily good to be a Christian, but it wasn’t a scarlet letter either. But today, Christians in America perceive a chill in the air—the culture today is actually hostile to Christian faith and principles. What happened?

Christian cultural commentator Aaron Renn joins the Christian Emergency Podcast to chart out the contours of how the American culture shifted under our feet. This episode will help you better understand these changes, and also how all Christians around the globe today find themselves in a Negative World. The pressure we face may differ in degree of severity, but we are all frowned upon by broader culture when we cling to Christ.

If you find this material helpful, please share it with your friends and leave us a five-star rating wherever you listen to your podcasts. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to the show, so you’ll never miss out when new episodes drop.

To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.