Hutchcraft has been in cross-cultural youth ministry for decades. He sees several reasons Kirk’s death has been so traumatic for Gen Z.

“Many of them — not all, but many of them — saw in [Kirk] someone they could trust. And trust comes hard to this younger generation. Then suddenly he was gone, violently, publicly. That has left them seeking. They really are.”

Hutchcraft recalls how America searched for answers in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks as well.

“[Something] I think God sees is a nation without answers. We are groping to [find out] ‘What’s wrong with us, what’s wrong with this world, what’s wrong with this culture?’” he says. “The public nature of what happened, the violent nature of what happened, the heart-wrenching way it happened, has reached all the way from college campuses to the Capitol.”

This time of national grief, debate, and clamor is causing people to look to God.

Charlie Kirk speaking with attendees at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. (Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0)

“The response as you look at social media has been many, many saying, ‘I’m going to church for the first time in my life.’ [Or] ‘I’m going back to church for the first time in many, many years,’” Hutchcraft says.

“There is a lot of God-seeking because, setting aside the political agenda of what Charlie Kirk may have had, he was a bold voice for his personal relationship with Jesus Christ and the fact that all of us need that relationship.” 

If you haven’t noticed spiritual openness among the people in your life yet, be on the lookout for it. Be on the lookout for them and their questions, even as you ask your own questions. Remember the hope Jesus offers every person who comes to Him, and share it. 

Hutchcraft points to Hebrews 6:19. “There is in the resurrected Christ — the conqueror of death — the end of our search. [That search] may very well be started by trauma, by losing some ‘earth hope’ that some may have placed their hope in.”

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Joshua Hanks via Unsplash.

The CIA carried out the operation. According to officials, Zawahiri was standing on the balcony of his villa when the drone fired two missiles.

Zawahiri, 71, took command of al-Qaeda in 2011 after the death of Osama bin Laden.

Taliban

The Taliban sheltered him in a safe house, and residents reported al-Qaeda fighters coming in and out of the neighborhood.

Living under the shadow of this alliance puts Afghan Christians in great danger.

Shoaib Ebadi spoke with The Voice of the Martyrs Canada, saying, “The Taliban had this big meeting not long ago. And basically, the decision was anyone who fights against their regime, they consider them an infidel, or they have to be put to death.”

Afghan Christians

Despite the resistance, Ebadi predicts huge growth in the Afghan church over the next 5-10 years.

He works with several other Afghan Christians, bringing the hope of Jesus into the country via tv channels and social media. “During our program, we teach the life of Jesus. Sometimes we think of Afghanistan as an Old Testament era. It’s always fighting, always revenge. What we do is teach to Afghan people how they can know Jesus, how they can understand Jesus’ teaching.”

Drone strikes won’t get rid of the extremism problem. Ebadi says only the love of Jesus can do that. “That’s the big thing that can change the hearts of people inside Afghanistan.”  

The header photo shows Ayman al-Zawahiri (pictured right) sitting with Osama Bin Laden in November 2001. (Photo courtesy of Hamid Mir, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons) 

The attacks left indelible marks on U.S. history and foreign policy. Uncharted Ministries co-founder Tom Doyle says they also had far-reaching consequences in the Middle East.

“Every Muslim out there, wherever we go around the globe, knows 9/11; even villages in Egypt where they don’t have a TV or radio,” Doyle says.

“It was a dividing line for Muslims. That was a ‘line in the sand’ where Muslims had to step over [and say], ‘yes, I want to be involved in terrorism; I believe jihad is the way.’ [The] majority of them do not.”

9/11 and the Middle East

Many countries in the Middle East region are known hotbeds of Islamic extremism and persecution. For example, 15 of the 19 hijackers involved in the 9/11 attacks hailed from Saudi Arabia. As described here, “Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s most restricted and difficult environments for Christians, especially those who convert from Islam.”

On September 11, 2001, al Qaeda hijackers crashed two planes into the World Trade Center in the heart of New York City.
(Wikimedia Commons)

“Some of these dangerous areas are literally the gates of hell, where Satan is so active, but Jesus is victorious. God’s moving powerfully; salvations and reconciliations are happening. So keep your nose to the grindstone, and pray for the church in the Middle East,” Doyle says.

“They are victorious. They are passionate for Jesus, and we can learn a lot from them.”

Most headlines from the Middle East may be discouraging, but God is writing a new story. “Globally, about 60-percent of Muslims don’t even practice their faith. They were just born into it,” Doyle says.

“In the last 20 years since 9/11, far more Muslims have come to faith in Christ than in the last 1,400 years of Islam.”

Uncharted Ministries equips believers in the West to advocate and pray for believers from a Muslim background. Learn more about Uncharted’s work here.

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“Iran is the fastest-growing Church per capita in the world; Afghanistan is number two. Great things are happening in Syria. Things are happening in difficult places like the Gaza Strip,” Doyle says.

Keep an eye on the headlines so you can effectively “pray the news,” but don’t lose Kingdom focus. “It’s a very unsettling time for us as believers as we look at things going on, but we have to remember that Almighty God is on the throne and there’s no panic in heaven,” Doyle says.

“Jesus is returning. Let’s make the most of our efforts and our opportunities now before He comes.”

In the header image, Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force Roger A. Towberman bows his head during a moment of silence during the Pentagon September 11th Memorial Service on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Sept. 11, 2021. (DOD Photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos M. Vazquez II)

Nehemiah with FMI says things took a bad turn after the 9/11 attacks. “There is a misconception or taboo in Pakistan among Muslims. They think that every American or Europe is a Christian and that they’re a spy for the United States.”

France cartoon controversy

For example, France has suffered a rash of brutal murders by Islamic extremists in October of last year. One teacher was attacked for showing cartoons of the prophet Mohammed during a class.

Nehemiah says the outrage over these cartoons spread to Pakistan, where Muslims blamed local Christians. But Christians in Pakistan have nothing to do with cartoons in France. Nehemiah says, “Christians living in Pakistan were easy targets for Muslims because Muslims were trying to release their aggression towards Christians.”

How to pray

This persecution intensifies whenever something perceived as against Islam happens in the world, says Nehemiah. “Pray for our partners who are serving with FMI in Pakistan in this hard and difficult situation. They’re thriving, their ministry is thriving. We pray and we encourage all the listeners to pray for FMI partners who are serving in this condition.” 

And ask God to give Pakistani Christians safety as they face constant threats.

The header photo shows a memorial gathering for the French teacher killed last year for showing cartoons of the prophet Mohammed. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)

Several countries, including Pakistan, India, and Syria, still see high levels of terrorist violence. But Bruce Allen of FMI says we can’t confuse terrorism with the persecution of Christians or other groups. He uses the 9/11 terror attacks in New York City as an example. “That was not persecution, those people who died weren’t being singled out because of their faith, or because they were left-handed, or because they voted for a particular political party or anything like that. It was random. And that’s how terrorists make such a strong impact: you have no idea if it’s going to touch you directly or not. And people live in fear. That’s what terrorists want to capitalize on.”

“Persecution, on the other hand, is much more targeted. You are being discriminated against or abused because of a particular reason. It has to do with your identity.”

In Pakistan, Christians routinely face this kind of systemic oppression by governing officials, neighbors, and even family. Many have died in terror attacks as well, but most of these attacks did not specifically target Christians.

Allen says that while deaths from terrorism have been dropping globally, this kind of systemic persecution against Christians has been on the rise. “Specifically for the five countries where FMI’s church-planting partners live, the world watchlist scores have gotten 14% worse. But all that goes to say, we need to pray, because legislation is not going to change the hearts of men. Policy is not going to change the hearts of men. Jesus Christ does that.”

Pray for Christians facing these difficulties in countries all around the world. Ask God to be with them, and strengthen them in love and hope.

Header Image by Zia Tabarak from Pixabay.

(Photo posted on July 28 by now-deleted account @Activistm10)

USA (MNN) — They threatened another 9/11 attack back in April. Now, as the 14th anniversary draws near, they’re threatening again.

Recent chatter from ISIS terrorists on Twitter is alarming, The Jerusalem Post reports.

“A Twitter account associated with the Islamic State sent out tweets on Monday hinting at a potential attack to be carried out inside the U.S. on the upcoming 14-year anniversary of the September 11 attacks,” the September 1 article reads.

But, are the threats valid?

“We’ve kind of been holding our collective breath, with the rise of ISIS and some of these hard-line terrorist groups, [fearing] that something might be coming,” observes Middle East expert and Vice President of E3 Partners, Tom Doyle.

While the threats could be legitimate, “some of that can be bluff and bravado from ISIS, to try and put people into fear and panic mode,” he reasons.

Other factors like the Iran nuclear deal and U.S. withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, have former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and former British Commander Colonel Richard Kemp concerned.

(Wikipedia)

“I think there is another possibility of 9/11,” Cheney told MSNBC last week. “I think next time, it may involve something far deadlier than airline tickets and box cutters.”

Col. Kemp recently shared similar thoughts on UK programming.

“I think the danger with that (if the West ‘writes off’ Afghanistan) is we do again see another 9/11,” Col. Kemp said.

“The problem is: the situation is getting worse, not better.”

“I think, as a country, we need to be careful during this time,” adds Doyle.

“Especially when you have high-level people like Dick Cheney talking about it, and top-level leaders from Great Britain. That’s time to sit up and take notice.”

The bigger picture

Whether another 9/11 attack is coming or not, one thing is certain: “Muslim(s) are emigrating,” says Doyle.

“If churches and believers would capture God’s heart for Muslims and see them through His eyes, then they’ll be willing to love them and reach out to them.”

Find creative resources here that will help you share your faith.

(Photo courtesy 8thirty8)

“We know that we have the answer, and it’s the Gospel: it’s Jesus Christ. That’s what changes Muslim hearts.”

Women especially have an opportunity to reach Muslim refugees for Christ, Doyle shares, through E3’s “Not Forgotten” project.

“They [Muslims] might just be waiting for an opportunity to come to know Jesus as Savior,” Doyle states.

“They’re out there, and we as a Church need to get serious about this and go after them.”

(Image courtesy U.S. Army via Wikimedia Commons)

On this day in 2001, nineteen al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four airplanes and crashed them into major U.S. landmarks: two into New York’s World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. When crew members and passengers attempted to gain control of the fourth plane, it crashed into a Pennsylvania field.

Nearly 3,000 people died in what would take a place in history as the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

Declaring a war on terrorism, the U.S. launched an offensive strike in Afghanistan called Operation Enduring Freedom. Two years later, Operation Iraqi Freedom put nearly 150,000 U.S. boots on the ground in the initial strike.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, over 1 million American soldiers served in Iraq; many of them on multiple deployments. U.S. troops pulled out of Iraq entirely in 2011, leaving the country in shaky hands.

This spring, Greg Musselman of Voice of the Martyrs Canada was in Baghdad.

“The thing that really struck me was just the, you know, the state of fear,” says Musselman. “Everybody is on-edge, all the time.”

Shortly after Musselman and his team left, a new wave of violence began sweeping through Iraq.

Sectarian conflict between Sunni militants and Iraq’s Shi’ite government is threatening to topple the unstable Middle Eastern nation. This summer saw Iraq’s deadliest month since sectarian violence peaked in 2006 and 2007. According to UN figures, 1,057 Iraqis were killed and another 2,326 wounded during July.

Bombings are now an almost-daily occurrence. Yesterday, attacks in central and northern Iraq killed more than 20 people. Over 4,000 people have died so far this year, according to Agence France-Presse.

If the West uses force in Syria, it could push this alarming trend over the edge. Iraqi Christians are torn.

“They’re just not sure what’s going to happen,” says Musselman. “There are some that would say, ‘We’ll stay no matter what, we’re here to advance God’s Kingdom’. [There are] others that would like to leave yesterday.”

Among the latest developments in Syria comes a Russian proposal to surrender all chemical weapons to the United Nations. The U.S. and its allies have agreed to look over the plan, suspending a threatened military strike.

Musselman says church leaders inside Syria are “very concerned” about the unfolding state of affairs.

“It’s such a volatile situation,” he states. “We really need to be interceding and pressing in with our Lord and asking Him to help our leaders to do the right thing.”

In Iraq, VOM Canada helps Christians who face arrest, torture and even death for their faith in Jesus.

“The worst kind of persecution in Muslim countries is for those who have converted from Islam to Christianity,” Musselman explains. “They’re not only seen as infidels, but even worse than that, because they have left Islam.

“We want to aid and support them any way we can.”

Musselman gives a young man he met this spring as an example.

“He had come to Christ, and his brothers tried to kill him because he had become a Christian,” Musselman recalls.

As a result, the young man fled to southern Iraq, and is now living in an area with a very strong Shi’ite presence. For security reasons, Musselman doesn’t state the man’s name or exact ways VOM Canada is helping him.

“Our desire is to…help and support Christians, sort of one-on-one, as best we can,” says Musselman.

They’re also trying to strengthen the underground Church. Only 334,000 Christians remain in Iraq, less than half of their 1991 population.

“They have to be very careful because if they’re found out, they could be in great difficulty, could be killed, those kinds of things; arrested, tortured,” says Musselman.

VOM Canada defines Iraq as a “restricted nation”, a country whose government policies prevent believers from obtaining Bibles or other Christian literature. Also included in the definition are “government-sanctioned circumstances” that lead to Christians being “harassed, imprisoned or killed.”

“Our heart’s desire is to empower the Christians, to say that we care about you, we know what’s going on, we’re praying for you,” says Musselman.

“How can we come along and support the Gospel ministry that you’re doing at this point in time?”

Their answers take different shapes, from women’s ministry to letters of encouragement.

What can you do?

“It’s uncomfortable to think that people are dying for their faith,” states Musselman.

But as Christians, he adds, we are called to respond.

“We need to care, and we need to be praying for them, and helping them in any way we can,” Musselman says. “We may have a relative who doesn’t know the Lord, but you’re actually closer-related spiritually to someone that’s in Iraq.”

Click here to come alongside VOM Canada in Iraq.

On this day in 2001, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four airplanes and crashed them into major U.S. landmarks: two into New York's World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. When crew members and passengers attempted to gain control of the fourth plane, it crashed into a Pennsylvania field.

Nearly 3,000 people died in what would take a place in history as the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

Declaring a war on terrorism, the U.S. launched an offensive strike in Afghanistan called Operation Enduring Freedom. Two years later, Operation Iraqi Freedom put nearly 150,000 U.S. boots on the ground in the initial strike.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, over 1 million American soldiers served in Iraq; many of them on multiple deployments. U.S. troops pulled out of Iraq entirely in 2011, leaving the country in shaky hands.

This spring, Greg Musselman of Voice of the Martyrs Canada was in Baghdad.

"The thing that really struck me was just the state of fear," says Musselman. "Everybody is on-edge, all the time."

Shortly after Musselman and his team left, a new wave of violence began sweeping through Iraq.

Sectarian conflict between Sunni militants and Iraq's Shi'ite government is threatening to topple the unstable Middle Eastern nation. This summer saw Iraq's deadliest month since sectarian violence peaked in 2006 and 2007. According to UN figures, 1,057 Iraqis were killed and another 2,326 wounded during July.

Bombings are now an almost-daily occurrence. Yesterday, attacks in central and northern Iraq killed more than 20 people. Over 4,000 people have died so far this year, according to Agence France-Presse.

If the West uses force in Syria, it could push this alarming trend over the edge. Iraqi Christians are torn.

"They're just not sure what's going to happen," says Musselman. "There are some that would say, 'We'll stay no matter what; we're here to advance God's Kingdom.' [There are] others that would like to leave yesterday."

Among the latest developments in Syria comes a Russian proposal to surrender all chemical weapons to the United Nations. The U.S. and its allies have agreed to look over the plan, suspending a threatened military strike.

Musselman says church leaders inside Syria are "very concerned" about the unfolding state of affairs.

"It's such a volatile situation," he states. "We really need to be interceding and pressing in with our Lord and asking Him to help our leaders to do the right thing."

In Iraq, VOM Canada helps Christians who face arrest, torture, and even death for their faith in Jesus.

"The worst kind of persecution in Muslim countries is for those who have converted from Islam to Christianity," Musselman explains. "They're not only seen as infidels but even worse than that, because they have left Islam.

"We want to aid and support them any way we can."

Musselman refers to a young man he met this spring as an example.

"He had come to Christ, and his brothers tried to kill him because he had become a Christian," Musselman recalls.

As a result, the young man fled to southern Iraq and is now living in an area with a very strong Shi'ite presence. For security reasons, Musselman doesn't state the man's name or exact ways VOM Canada is helping him.

"Our desire is to…help and support Christians, sort of one-on-one, as best we can," says Musselman.

They're also trying to strengthen the underground Church. Only 334,000 Christians remain in Iraq–less than half of their 1991 population.

"They have to be very careful because if they're found out, they could be in great difficulty, could be killed, those kinds of things–arrested, tortured," says Musselman.

VOM Canada defines Iraq as a "restricted nation," a country whose government policies prevent believers from obtaining Bibles or other Christian literature. Also included in the definition are "government-sanctioned circumstances" that lead to Christians being "harassed, imprisoned, or killed."

"Our heart's desire is to empower the Christians, to say that we care about you, we know what's going on, [and] we're praying for you," says Musselman.

"How can we come along and support the Gospel ministry that you're doing at this point in time?"

Their answers take different shapes, from women's ministry to letters of encouragement.

What can you do?

"It's uncomfortable to think that people are dying for their faith," states Musselman. But as Christians, he adds, we are called to respond.

"We need to care, and we need to be praying for them and helping them in any way we can," Musselman says. "We may have a relative who doesn't know the Lord, but you're actually closer-related spiritually to someone that's in Iraq."

Click here to come alongside VOM Canada in Iraq.

David Shibley with Global Advance notes that some realities revealed
by September 11,2001 are still
confronting the church today, with greater potency. "In this ensuing
decade, persecution against Christians has intensified worldwide. Some research
indicates that 600 million–and possibly even closer to 700 million–Christians
worldwide are experiencing some kind of persecution, at some level."

In fact, Shibley goes on to say that the level of oppression
against the followers of Christ globally is unprecedented in history. Many of the persecutors do not make a
distinction between the West and believer. There is an assumption that Christianity is a religion from the West, now
the object of "jihad."

The revelation of an enemy bent on the eradication of Christians
revealed a second harsh reality. There
was a deep-seated malcontent in many Muslims
around the world, many of whom were radicalized into an explosive response. 

Shibley says the militancy that fueled the 2001 attacks was
also a catalyst for another movement. "There are millions of other Muslims
who are deeply conflicted, and embarrassed, and searching for truth. Because of that, and because of the massive
prayers of Christians for the Islamic world, we are seeing an unprecedented
number of Muslims coming to faith in Christ." For example, Shibley says, although Iran is known
for its persecution of the Church, the Islamic Republic has one of the most
vigorous evangelistic, church-planting movements in the world. 

In many respects, it's a brave, new world. There are opportunities to be the hands and
feet of Christ that didn't exist ten years ago. There was a new awareness of resource and
priority in the Great Commission. "Many of us have viewed persecution as
for 'super saints,' but it's just 'discipleship 101' in most of the
world."

That paradigm shift revealed a third reality that's proven to be more encouraging. Congregations in
the West became more intentional about kingdom-building in the wake of
September 2001. Shibley explains, "Many churches really
became more mission-oriented as a result of these attacks. They realized that we
have indeed come into the Kingdom 'for such a time as this' and that it is
time to juxtapose our message of the Gospel to the pernicious message of religious
terrorists."

Great awakenings happened in the shadow of ideologies that
swept large sections of the world. Shibley
says that fascism, communism and other similar belief systems controlled people
through oppression. Freedom
in Truth appeals to people when disillusionment surfaces. "We need to put the present context into
an understanding, both of history and of prophecy, and remember that the
kingdoms of this world will ultimately become the kingdoms of our Lord and of
His Christ."

Global Advance resources pastors on the front lines of Gospel
work in some of the world's most difficult countries. Click here for ways to help.

"Where were you on September 11, 2001? 

I was involved in a meeting of National Religious Broadcasters.
Irwin Lutzer was keynote speaker, and as we learned of the tragic attacks, we
gathered the group, and Dr. Lutzer began to teach of St. Augustine's [writings concerning] the 'City of
God' and the city of man. This world
is not our home. The City of God is
real, and permanent. 

Our world has changed since then, and the attacks on our nation
transformed America from the great benefactor of the world to a country fearful
and suspicious of our international colleagues.

Many mission organizations have chosen not to view people in these
countries as enemies. Jesus taught us to
love our enemies and pray for those who despise us. He gave us the ministry of
reconciliation.

HCJB Global has redoubled its efforts to proclaim the message of
Christ through media and to demonstrate God's love through human care. The
verse I discovered on 09/11/01 rings true today. It's Psalm 91:1, 'He who dwells in the
shelter of the Most High, will rest in the Shadow of the Almighty.' That might be good reflection on this
9/11."