What Iranian Christians Want

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Christianity Today

Religion, Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.3 • 622 Ratings

🗓️ 4 January 2018

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

For more than a week, thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets to protest their government. Spurred by anger over a weak economy and increasing fuel and food prices, their grievances accompany frustration that loosening economic sanctions have had little effect on their everyday lives. Nearly all the protesters are Muslims—no surprise in a country where 99 percent of the population adheres to Islam. Despite Muslims’ numeric dominance, some researchers say there’s no country in the world where Christianity is growing faster than in Iran today, according to David Yeghnazar, the executive director of Elam Ministries, a nonprofit that serves Iranian Christians. “Iranians have become the most open people to the gospel,” said Yeghnazar. Unlike in other parts of the Middle East, the country’s historic churches have increasingly taken on an evangelistic role and committed themselves to praying for nonbelievers in their country, he says. Yeghnazar joined associate digital media producer Morgan Lee and editor in chief Mark Galli to discuss how Iranian Christians feel about the latest protests, how recent political history has opened the country to the gospel, and how long Christianity has existed in Persia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is brought to you in part by The Apologetics Guy Show, the podcast that helps you find clear answers to tough questions about Christianity.
0:11.0	Learn to explain your faith with courage and compassion.
0:14.5	Join Moody Bible Institute professor Dr. Mikhail del Rosario at apologeticsky.com.
0:28.5	Music Michael Del Rosario at Apologeticsguy.com. You're listening to Quick to Listen.
0:30.7	Each week, we go beyond hashtags and hot takes to discuss a major cultural event.
0:36.2	I'm Morgan Lee.
0:37.3	I'm an associate digital media producer
0:39.4	here at Christianity today. I am under the weather. I am going to cough on this episode. Don't worry,
0:44.6	you're not going to get sick. Mark, maybe you'll get sick. Yeah, I don't know if I should be doing
0:48.9	this with you. Mark, you're very close to me right now. I will keep my distance. You're also that they're in chief. Yeah,
0:54.8	but I love your new voice. Thank you. Yeah. Especially when it just appears halfway through this.
1:00.9	Okay. I'm happy to be here, though. I'm happy you're here. All right. So who else is with us?
1:06.4	With us today is David Jegnizar. He has served served with Islam Ministries for nearly 20 years now,
1:12.5	and he was appointed as executive director or for American Speak CEO in 2014. He's a native to Iran
1:19.4	and his family's been serving the Iranian church for three generations. Alam's efforts include
1:26.1	training thousands of church leaders in Iran, printing and
1:29.1	deploying more than 2 million scriptures in Persian, planting churches all over the Iran region,
1:34.4	serving thousands of poor and persecuted and producing TV programs that are broadcasts weekly
1:38.7	into Iran and made available online. As you'll hear from the introduction, he's a perfect person
1:43.5	for us to have on today to talk
1:45.3	about what's going on in Iran. Hi, David. Hi, Morgan. And hi, Mark. Great to have this opportunity
1:52.4	to chat with you. So where are you speaking to us from? I am from England. I'm calling from London,
	...

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