Russell Moore, who admittedly cannot be described as a supporter of President Trump, but is an evangelical leader nonetheless, tweeted “Kurdish Christians (and others among the brave Kurds) have stood up for the United States and for freedom and human dignity against ISIS terrorism and the bloodthirsty Assad regime. What they are now facing from Erdogan’s authoritarian Turkey is horrifying beyond words.”
Concern for the Kurds and Christians in the Region
Other leaders have also expressed concern over the safety of Christians in the region. Alan Cross, a pastor and writer, tweeted: “May God be merciful and protect them b/c we have betrayed/abandoned them. I’m at the point where I can’t listen to Evangelicals talk about ‘missions’ or ‘persecuted church’ anymore w/out thinking of these kinds of things.”
Pastor Wade Burleson had a convicting word for Americans who may be ignorant or apathetic to the Kurd’s plight, which he tweeted about on Thursday: “Every American more interested in video games, Hollywood gossip, and college football games than the Kurdish people facing an existential war for survival should be ashamed. Read. Think. Weep.”
Indeed, evangelical leaders in the Middle East are also voicing their concern. Joseph Kassab, the president of the Supreme Council of the Evangelical Community in Syria and Lebanon, said: “The expected military invasion [by Turkey] and the possible confrontation with the Kurds might oblige Christians of the region to leave. This means one more tragedy to the Christian presence in Syria.”
Amid the fears being expressed on social media and news platforms, some leaders are clinging to hope that the Trump administration can reign in Turkey’s offensive through economic sanctions. Last year, for instance, the Trump administration employed tariffs when negotiating the release of Pastor Andrew Brunson, who spent nearly two years in a Turkish prison.
