Vicar of Baghdad highlights plight of Middle Eastern Christians
“One thing that’s remarkable about Andrew is that he has a ministry to Iraqi Christians, but he also promotes reconciliation and conversation between Shiites and Sunnis,"
TORONTO, ON—Andrew White, an internationally recognized humanitarian activist and vicar of St George’s Anglican Church in Baghdad, Iraq, is the recipient of an honourary Doctorate of Divinity from Wycliffe College.
“His story is a story of personal courage and witness, that’s part of what we wanted to honour,” says George Sumner, principal of Wycliffe College. “We also wanted to do a small part in drawing attention to the plight of Middle Eastern Christians today.”
Serving in Baghdad since 1998, White built a name for himself as a man with profound love for the Iraqi people, Christian and non-Christian alike. White has also been a tireless voice for unity and reconciliation in the deeply sectarian region, gaining the respect of leaders across religious lines.
“One thing that’s remarkable about Andrew is that he has a ministry to Iraqi Christians, but he also promotes reconciliation and conversation between Shiites and Sunnis, so it’s also been a ministry to Muslim people,” Sumner explains. “It’s obviously a Christian ministry, but it has a wider interest.”
As the ongoing Syrian civil war spilled over into Iraq, White took an active role highlighting the plight of Middle Eastern Christians. Since the Islamic State (also known as ISIS) swept across large swaths of Iraq in early 2014, thousands of Christians have fled.
Most of the congregation of St. George’s has fled the country and some have been killed, while others have stayed behind, living in very dangerous circumstances.
“When Andrew spoke at the ceremony, after receiving the honourary degree, he opened by saying, ‘a religious civilization of 3000 years is in risk of ending in the coming months,’” Sumner says. “There’s a lot of relief work [his ministry] has done and he made his point that this is a pretty dire moment for Middle Eastern Christians.”
White is not alone is his warnings. For months, mission agencies have been sounding alarm bells, warning that ancient Christian populations would soon be completely driven from the region. Some have even ventured that without action, Christianity will be extinct in the Middle East.
Recently, however, other reports have had a much different tone.
A January newsletter from Voice of the Martyrs Canada states, “Many Muslims are very open to the gospel now.... The brutality of the Islamic terrorists has caused Muslims who do not support this group to turn away from Islam and instead place their faith in the Jesus of the Bible.”
The conflict has emboldened some Christians, says Greg Musselman, vice president of Voice of the Martyrs Canada. He explains the conflict has provided opportunities for dialogue about what Islam is, which has given strong believers deep resolve to share their faith.
“We are working with evangelists who have stayed in Syria doing direct evangelism,” he says. “They could have fled the country, but they feel the Lord has called them to stay. They have to be careful, but what they tell us is that many of the Muslims they are encountering are really looking at Islam, asking if ISIS is the real representation. As a result, they are more open to the gospel.
Musselman says he met a pastor who, several years ago, was given the opportunity to move to Canada, but felt God call him to start a church in Mosul. When ISIS invaded Mosul, the church held a prayer service for three days and nights. After getting direction from God, they fled and miraculously all 70 church members survived.
“Guys like that are focused, but evangelicals are a very small percentage of the Christians in Iraq and the Middle East,” says Musselman. “But I believe the number is growing. We are hearing many reports Muslims having dreams or visions of Jesus and becoming Christians. As a result of that, they tend to be very strong in their faith.”
Musselman says the majority of Christians in the Middle East are “cultural Christians.” He says these believers are struggling both with the physical circumstances, but also with deep anger and bitterness. Yet despite the suffering, even these groups are growing in their faith.
“We like to think the Church grows under persecution,” says independent missionary Ray Thorne. “I can’t say it has grown greatly, but it has been purified. Many of the Christians who fled have nothing to do but sit around in the refugee camps. We brought them Bibles so they spend their time reading the Word. They say, ‘what can we do but trust God.’”
Thorne travelled to Iraq in November, visiting and encouraging many of these believers. Although the number of believers who are reaching out is relatively small, he says it’s their love that’s winning hearts.
“One guy I met was going tent to tent [in his refugee camp], getting to know people and asking how he can meeting their needs. They ask him why he does this and he shares with them about Jesus. Many Muslims are very thankful for the help Christians are giving them. Many are open to the gospel, some are becoming Christians and it’s because of the love of these believers.”
In one camp, Thorne said 100 Muslims were considering baptism—a decision that could get them killed. Muslim leaders of another camp visited a church that has been bringing aid and helping the refugees. The leaders thanked the church saying, “You are true believers. You helped us in our time of need.”
“The real issue is discipleship. We can’t just come and throw money at the needs, we need to offer spiritual help as well. We need to show up to encourage and support these believers.”
Abram, a believer living in Beirut who’s name has been changed for security reasons, sees the need for discipleship, especially among Muslims seeing Jesus in dreams and visions.
“Most of the converts are becoming Christians through visions and dreams, but supported through encounters with believers,” he explains. “When they have a dream, it marks them deeply, but they are puzzled by it. When they meet believers, they see the difference [in the love Christians have] and they accept the gospel.”
Abram says one Syrian man, now attending his church had a dream, but it wasn’t until someone shared the gospel with him that he understood the difference between Islam and Christianity. Through discipleship, he has now matured in his faith.
“It’s not happening by the thousands, but in my area we are seeing [many] people coming with genuine experiences. They are witnessing to their families and paying a cost in terms of being secluded and threatened with death. But despite the bleak picture of war and turmoil, we see the intervention of God.”
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