Source:      www.MNNonline.org

Date:         April 30, 2007

Turkey (MNN) -- As evangelical groups make inroads among Turkey's Islamic population, their visibility causes Turks to see them as interlopers. That has led to a lot of confusion about Christianity, resulting in a violent nationalist backlash. Case in point: the recent murders of three believers involved in Bible publishing. Interserve's Doug VanBronkhorst notes, "We have people there that are not Turks. We have some involved with Turkish citizens and Christians. They all seem to be at risk now. The significant thing about the murders is that one of them was a German worker - a foreigner, not a Turk. So, nobody's safe, and they all realize that." VanBronkhorst goes on to express confidence in the tightly-knit evangelical community. "I think that the Turkish church will still continue to be open about their faith. Clearly, this will make them cautious in certain ways. Pray for their courage in the face of persecution. Pray, too, that they will continue to make the Gospel a message of love and peace, even in the face of this kind of provocation."

Full story: http://www.MNNonline.org/article/9858