Egypt (MNN) — The disharmony between Egypt's military government
and the Islamists continues to spread.
Parliament suspended sessions for a week to protest the lack of
transition by the ruling military. Seated three months ago, this branch of
government wants to form a Cabinet to replace the one appointed by the
country's military rulers late last year.
Run-off
elections are expected on June 16-17, and a winner will be announced on June 21.
The military has promised to hand over power by July 1.
Other
cracks in the foundation showed when Islamists in Parliament tried to dominate
a 100-member panel that was to draft a new constitution. A court disbanded the panel and a new one is
forming .
What this points out is that the country is a long ways from
settled. Egypt's Christians also face
the question of choosing politics or faith. Theirs is a dilemma that many Arab Christians face in the wake of the
uprisings last year.
In many post-revolution states, Carl Moeller with Open Doors USA says,
"Christian minorities in the Middle East and other places are being
particularly singled out, and persecution is increasing. In fact, our belief is that there is intentional
eradication of Christianity going on in many parts of the Middle East."
In Egypt, Christians have had to ally with the secularists in
order to have enough clout to be heard in Parliament. Moeller explains, "Radical secularism
here in the United States is committed to the elimination of religion from
public life. But in Egypt, it's a little bit different. I think one
thing we need to remember is that the Christian church is going under a
huge amount of pressure there."
In other words, in the Egyptian context, believers have to focus
on common interests of the minorities and offer their support in return for the
rights to practice their faith. "Radical
agenda has called for the elimination of the Christian community in Egypt. Imagine
that: 12 million Christians being called 'worthless' to the majority of the Parliament."
In this context, sharing the hope of Christ still happens, but it
happens quietly. Moeller says, "The
risks of doing so become exponentially greater as more extremist law has come
into play. However, the Gospel continues to go forward even in greater degrees
and numbers."
Perseverance under pressure produces what Moeller calls a Paradox
of Persecution. "Christians began
to understand what it took to survive…maybe as secret believers, maybe as underground
believers, maybe believers who would align themselves and provide services
within this society that would give them a value."
It's kind of a "dandelion" effect: the more the Christians are persecuted, the more the Church grows. "Last year, I reported that we were able
to distribute more Bibles in North Africa in the previous nine months, than we
had in the previous nine years, combined," says Moeller. "That's an indication that there's
just an incredible amount of hunger and openness to the Gospel, despite all the
opposition."
Pray that God will strengthen and embolden Christians in this
time of political uncertainty and give them new opportunities to share the Gospel.
