When my wife and I visited Bethlehem, which Hamas and the radical Palestinian Liberation controlled at the time, it was very unnerving… The Muslims were hostile to Christian tourists, but “tolerated” them because they wanted the revenue they generated.
Being in “Palestine” gave us a chance to talk to the locals, which included some Christian shop owners…
Unfortunately, many if not all the Christians we spoke to are gone…
The Christian population is disappearing…
In 1922, Christians made up 11% of the population. Today, the number has crashed to roughly 1% of the population, according to the Israeli think tank, Jerusalem Center for Security in Foreign Affairs.
The Christian population in Gaza has decreased from 5,000 in 2007 before Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip.
Today, there are only 1,000 Christians…
On my previous trip to Jerusalem, I noticed that according to Christian shopkeepers in Jerusalem, the Christian population in Jerusalem had shrunk to only a few retail shops, where once there were many.
They were all driven away by the hostility and intolerance of Islamic radicals.
Action Steps:
1) It’s time to pray for those in Gaza and in Israel.
2) It’s time to spread the good news of Jesus and His hope in the region.
What do you think? Leave a comment in the comment section below or email me at [email protected].