Story number 2 for 8 Jan 2003

(Nigeria)–We turn now to Nigeria, where Christians have been living with rising persecution in some states that are under a full-Islamic law government. Sectarian fighting has resulted in much destruction and death. Baptist World Alliance’s Denton Lotz explains the situation. “There’s an underlying rivalry, almost, between these two groups, and that’s unfortunate. The Christians in Nigeria and the responsible Muslim leaders have come together and said ‘this isn’t right.’ And with that openness, Lotz says the church continues to grow. “There’s a tremendous response to the Gospel, partially because they’ve been living in such desperate times. Here it’s an oil-producing country, but they’ve had oil shortages. There’s a real disparity between the rich and the poor and between those who have and those who do not have, and so, the Gospel come in as a moderating force and it gives people hope.” Lotz says the Alliance is encouraging Nigerian believers by helping to fix some of the structures ruined in the most recent riots.