International (MNN) — As 2003 draws to a close, hostility against Christians continues to increase with an estimated 200 million Christians being persecuted and another 200 to
400 million are facing discrimination and alienation.
According to Open Doors with Brother Andrew, this year there was an increase in persecution of Christians in countries such as North Korea, Indonesia and India.
The estimated 400,000 Christians in North Korea faced daily persecution, including torture in prison camps. In Indonesia, hundreds of Christians were killed, churches were burned, and pastors and Christian leaders were imprisoned. In India more states adopted anti-conversion laws in an attempt to stop the spread of Christianity.
On the positive side, millions of Bibles and other study materials were sent to places such as China where house church members thirst for God’s Word, and thousands of pastors were trained through seminars.
