Tuesday, October 23, 2007

New documentary exposes Christian persecution in Iran

A new resource from Open Doors USA seeks to tell the untold story of the persecuted church in Iran.The DVD, A Cry From Iran, was produced by brothers Andre and Joseph Hovsepian, sons of a Christian, Haik Hovsepian, who was martyred for his faith in Christ. The DVD tells the story of Haik, who led a campaign in the early 1990s to have the death sentence of a Christian overturned. That sentence was eventually overturned, but Haik's body was found a few days later, with 26 stab wounds.Andre Hovsepian says his dad's story shows how Christians in Iran, who are vocal about their faith, regularly risk their lives. Forty religious and political experts were interviewed for the documentary, which has won numerous awards.The goal with the documentary, he shares, is to show how God works in the midst of trials and valleys."We didn't make [this DVD] to get revenge ... or to pay the government back or anyone who did this thing. That's not the direction that we have taken and that wasn't the message that we wanted to give to people," Andre says."But instead it's exactly the opposite-and we wanted to actually show people how God can work through his forgiveness and the Holy Spirit to basically minister to us."Andre explains that many people do not realize how widespread the persecution of Christians is in Iran. "But after this documentary, people will learn about the persecution," he says. "People will learn about the thirst that people of Iran have, and they will learn that Iran is not only evil and all of them are not terrorists. But of course there's a great thirst for the message of the gospel, and people are open for the gospel."Andre's entire family is in ministry with a focus on taking the gospel to Iran. http://www.onenewsnow.com/2007/10/new_documentary_exposes_christ.php
As in the days of Noah.....

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