On The Side Of The Persecuted

Jody Myers, Ph.D. (Coordinator, Jewish Studies Program / Professor, Department of Religious Studies, California State University, Northridge): On the Side of the Persecuted ... is a very interesting book that will engage readers on a number of different levels.I enjoyed the book very much and I recommend it wholeheartedly. On the level of its story line, On the Side of the Persecuted has a plot that keeps the reader guessing.The book is set in late 14th - early 15th century Germany and Italy, and it illustrates the daily lives of the nobility, physicians, peasants, and Jews.It opens with a brief look at a few stark incidents in the childhood of Prince Leon, the protagonist, that shape him into a persecutor of Jews.We follow Leons personal journey - which is never predictable - as he wrestles with his sins and attempts to redeem himself as a human being. ...The personal relationships ... are sensitively developed by the author, and it is easy to be drawn into Leons dilemmas, losses, and victories.It is quite a moving tale. On the Side of the Persecuted makes history come alive.The author sets the story into the late medieval period, with its groundbreaking political and religious changes: the growth of nation-states, schism within the Catholic church, the Black plague, expulsion of Jews, etc.She weaves together the story with just enough history to make the story line plausible and to make the history relevant.As a teacher of Jewish history, I can testify that the book is very good at driving home the influence on the Jews of medieval economic practices and political systems, the Church hierarchy, and Christian insecurities vis a vis heretics and Jews.It also enlightens the reader about the internal workings of the Jewish community....The author describes Leons training and occupation as a physician and we learn fascinating tidbits about medical education, the common versus professional concepts of disease and treatment, and the many religious obstacles in the way of advancing medical knowledge.This information is conveyed in short segments or details woven into the story, so it is never boring. I think this book is particularly good for teaching Jewish moral and religious concepts.Without being preachy or pedantic, the reader learns about the importance of teshuva (repentance), establishing a disciplined way of life, doing deeds of loving kindness, honoring peoples privacy, and keeping ones pride in check.The author shows that these are really quite complex and sophisticated matters. ... It is easy to get absorbed in On the Side of the Persecuted.The book conveys a great deal while telling a good story.Those knowledgeable about Judaism, as well as those less familiar, would find it insightful and thought-provoking.History buffs would enjoy it immensely.I would recommend it those of high school age and older.It would be an excellent choice for a book club, and it would also work well as a supplement to a history class or a course on Jewish ethics.It is obvious that Elisabeth Kesten crafted her book with a lot of care and painstaking research, and her work deserves wide recognition. Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter, September/October 2001: Prince Leon of Germany, destined for greatness and power, creates a new path for himself, one that has been trod by few others before him.Born of Christian nobility, Prince Leon is gr

One of the most respected journalists in the United States and the bestselling author of The Future Church uses his unparalleled knowledge of world affairs and religious insight to investigate the troubling worldwide persecution of Christians. From Iraq and Egypt to Sudan and Nigeria, from Indonesia to the Indian subcontinent, Christians in the early 21st century are the world's most persecuted religious group. According to the secular International Society for Human Rights, 80 percent of violations of religious freedom in the world today are directed against Christians. In effect, our era is witnessing the rise of a new generation of martyrs. Underlying the global war on Christians is the demographic reality that more than two-thirds of the world's 2.3 billion Christians now live outside the West, often as a beleaguered minority up against a hostile majority-- whether it's Islamic fundamentalism in the Middle East and parts of Africa and Asia, Hindu radicalism in India, or state-imposed atheism in China and North Korea. In Europe and North America, Christians face political and legal challenges to religious freedom. Allen exposes the deadly threats and offers investigative insight into what is and can be done to stop these atrocities. “This book is about the most dramatic religion story of the early 21st century, yet one that most people in the West have little idea is even happening: The global war on Christians,” writes John Allen. “We’re not talking about a metaphorical ‘war on religion’ in Europe and the United States, fought on symbolic terrain such as whether it’s okay to erect a nativity set on the courthouse steps, but a rising tide of legal oppression, social harassment and direct physical violence, with Christians as its leading victims. However counter-intuitive it may seem in light of popular stereotypes of Christianity as a powerful and sometimes oppressive social force, Christians today indisputably form the most persecuted religious body on the planet, and too often its new martyrs suffer in silence.” This book looks to shatter that silence.

For 2,000 years, the persecution of Christians has taken place wherever the Church has been present -- essentially, in every corner of the world. More than 260 million Christians around the globe are facing some form of persecution right now, and that number continues to climb each year. The Persecuted is an astonishing book that tells the real-life stories of brave Christians who are suffering intimidation, oppression, and violence right now as they resolutely live out their Faith in Muslim lands. The author, Casey Chalk, shocked by what he saw as a journalist living overseas, presents with skill and sensitivity these riveting stories that he witnessed firsthand. This global tour of Christian persecution will take you from the slums of Karachi, where Islamic extremists harass and kill beleaguered Christians, to the bustling, exotic streets of Bangkok, where Christians hide in fear while awaiting adjudication of their refugee applications. You'll meet brave Christians who escaped Muslim persecution to make a new life in the Netherlands, and others who slipped away only to become trapped in Russia. Casey tells the stories of Christians who were tortured and, in some instances, killed in Muslim nations -- and then lays out a strategic plan for rescuing as many as possible from their plight. Chalk also addresses other fundamental issues, explaining why Islam's radicals feel they must declare war on Christianity and why they persist in enslaving the Christians in their midst. He also explains how they have managed to get away with this appalling conduct in the face of powerful international organizations--and the Catholic Church herself--spotlighting the persecution and calling for its end. These harrowing stories bring you face-to-face with fellow Christians enduring the ultimate test in distant lands. They will strengthen your faith and also prepare you for what may lie ahead here in the West if we fail to heed the advice given in this timely and important book.

Persecuted as a Jew, both under the Nazis and in post-war East Germany, Johanna Krause (1907–2001) courageously fought her way through life with searing humour and indomitable strength of character. Johanna Krause Twice Persecuted is her story. Born in Dresden into bitter poverty, Krause received little education and worked mostly in shops and factories. In 1933, when she came to the defence of a Jewish man being beaten by the brownshirts, Krause was jailed for “insulting the Fürer” After a secret wedding in 1935, she was arrested again with her husband, Max Krause, for breaking the law that forbade marriage between a Jew and an “Aryan.” In the years following, Johanna endured many atrocities—a forced abortion while eight months pregnant and subsequent sterilization, her incarceration in numerous prisons and concentration camps, including Ravensbrück, the notorious women’s camp near Berlin, and a death march. After the war, the Krauses took part enthusiastically in building the new socialist republic of East Germany—until 1958, when Johanna recognized a party official as a man who had tried to rape and kill her during the war. Thinking the communist party would punish the official, Joanna found out whose side the party was on and was subjected to anti-Semitic attacks. Both she and her husband were jailed and their business and belongings confiscated. After her release she lived as a persona non grata in East Germany, having been evicted from the communist party. It was only in the 1990s, after the reunification of Germany, that Johanna saw some justice. Originally published as Zweimal Verfolgt, the book is the result of collaboration between Johanna Krause, Carolyn Gammon, and Christiane Hemker. Translated by Carolyn Gammon, Johanna Krause Twice Persecuted will be of interest to scholars of auto/biography, World War II history, and the Holocaust.

In Feeling Persecuted, Anthony Bale explores the medieval Christian attitude toward Jews, which included a pervasive fear of persecution and an imagined fear of violence enacted against Christians. As a result, Christians retaliated with expulsions, riots, and murders that systematically denied Jews the right to religious freedom and peace. Through close readings of a wide range of sources, Bale exposes the perceived violence enacted by the Jews and how the images of this Christian suffering and persecution were central to medieval ideas of love, community, and home. The images and texts explored by Bale expose a surprising practice of recreational persecution and show that the violence perpetrated against medieval Jews was far from simple anti-Semitism and was in fact a complex part of medieval life and culture. Bale’s comprehensive look at medieval poetry, drama, visual culture, theology, and philosophy makes Feeling Persecuted an important read for anyone interested in the history of Christian-Jewish relations and the impact of this history on modern culture.

The New York Times bestselling author of The Benedict Option draws on the wisdom of Christian survivors of Soviet persecution to warn American Christians of approaching dangers. For years, émigrés from the former Soviet bloc have been telling Rod Dreher they see telltale signs of "soft" totalitarianism cropping up in America--something more Brave New World than Nineteen Eighty-Four. Identity politics are beginning to encroach on every aspect of life. Civil liberties are increasingly seen as a threat to "safety". Progressives marginalize conservative, traditional Christians, and other dissenters. Technology and consumerism hasten the possibility of a corporate surveillance state. And the pandemic, having put millions out of work, leaves our country especially vulnerable to demagogic manipulation. In Live Not By Lies, Dreher amplifies the alarm sounded by the brave men and women who fought totalitarianism. He explains how the totalitarianism facing us today is based less on overt violence and more on psychological manipulation. He tells the stories of modern-day dissidents--clergy, laity, martyrs, and confessors from the Soviet Union and the captive nations of Europe--who offer practical advice for how to identify and resist totalitarianism in our time. Following the model offered by a prophetic World War II-era pastor who prepared believers in his Eastern European to endure the coming of communism, Live Not By Lies teaches American Christians a method for resistance: • SEE: Acknowledge the reality of the situation. • JUDGE: Assess reality in the light of what we as Christians know to be true. • ACT: Take action to protect truth. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn famously said that one of the biggest mistakes people make is assuming totalitarianism can't happen in their country. Many American Christians are making that mistake today, sleepwalking through the erosion of our freedoms. Live Not By Lies will wake them and equip them for the long resistance.

Persecuted gives documented accounts of the persecution of Christians in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and former Soviet nations. It contains vivid stories of men and women who suffer abuse because of their faith in Jesus Christ, and tells of their perseverance and courage.

We are persecuted for our belief in the Bible We are imprisoned for our belief in God. We are executed for our belief that Jesus is the Son of God. Inside this book are our stories of persecution, imprisonment, and death at the hands of those who believe in other gods. I have researched stories around the world in every country on today’s map, detailing the persecution that Christians are subject to. Today, in North America, we see persecution in many different forms. Even in our country of the United States, we see different forms of persecution that were not seen before the COVID-19 pandemic. Soon, I believe we will see the same persecutions as we see today in other countries like India, China, and the Middle East. I invite you to read and see the persecution that Christians are subject to in 102 different countries.