Türkiye (MNN) — In areas where not everyone is free to say they watch Christian broadcasting, SAT-7 TÜRK is seeing a growing impact, with people commenting, responding, and calling in.
“Although Türkiye is a country that we may consider part of the West, we may consider that what freedoms they have may be similar to Europe, but it is not easy to be a Christian in Türkiye,” says Joe Willey of SAT-7.
“My colleague had shared with me that their identification card would say your religion, and it was the predominant religion of the region or ‘other.’ So as a Christian, you are ‘other.’ It’s really not considered, or many do not consider you a true Türk, if you are not of that dominant religion, which is Islam. So SAT-7 has an opportunity to share the gospel, to present the actions of Christians in ways that many people would never consider or never see.”
SAT-7 TÜRK is Christian broadcasting for Türkiye, presented and produced for Turkish people by Turkish people.
“There is a cultural context, and there’s an understanding of the language that a broadcaster that is in the culture would understand more than, say, programming created even in the language from the United States,” explains Willey.
It is the first and only Christian channel to be allowed to broadcast on the government-regulated satellite Türksat, which has an audience of 50 million in Türkiye, as well as viewers in Europe and Central Asia. Since 2006, SAT-7 TÜRK has been a vital Christian voice in a country where the small minority of believers can find it difficult to share their faith. The channel is astonishingly well-received, with viewers of all backgrounds responding positively since Türksat launch in early 2015.
“There has been such great effort given to try to make available how Christians are not only the same and not only have the same problems, but how a biblical worldview and Scripture changes the way we react and the way we live our lives, even in the midst of those problems,” says Willey. “With SAT-7 TÜRK programming, it shows the people of Türkiye, who may not really have much contact with Christians, that Christians care and that Christians are truly kind.”
SAT-7 also uses social media and video on demand to distribute their programming, but their uses of satellite broadcasting is an especially powerful way to share the gospel, according to Willey: “Satellite dishes are ubiquitous in the Middle East and North Africa, and it is a really powerful way that traditionally SAT-7 has reached people because it is virtually uncensorable. All you need is a dish, and you can receive the broadcasts that are broadcast by satellite. It is one of the easiest to access and most frequently used ways that people are broadcasting and receiving information and, specifically in the case of SAT-7, the gospel in the Middle East and North Africa.”
As their impact continues to grow, Willey asks for prayers for the strength of their team and the strength of their presenters, as well as for the strength of God to be at work in a country that has such historic Christian roots: “Most people in Türkiye are unaware of the history of Christianity within their borders.”
Header photo/image courtesy of SAT-7.
