David Curry is the president and CEO of Open Doors, which works in the most oppressive regions across the world, encouraging, empowering and equipping persecuted Christians. Open Doors provides regular updates on Christian persecution and offers resources to engage action around the challenges facing the persecuted church. David is married to Kate and has two sons, Jack and Cole.
Key Questions for David Curry
-What is the state of Christian persecution in the world today?
-Why is persecution increasing?
-In light of persecution in other countries, is it valid to say that Christians are persecuted in the U.S.?
-What are practical ways pastors can help their congregations be aware and take action to support the persecuted church?
Key Quotes from David Curry
“Right now we are seeing, and have for the last five years seen the most dramatic spike in persecution of Christians.”
“What Open Doors is doing is we are still fundamentally trying to get to and stand with those people who are persecuted for their faith. It’s not the Soviet Union anymore, but it is all over Central Asia into the Middle East into places like China and elsewhere.”
“One of the things you come up against whenever we as pastors start talking about the subject [of persecution] is it seems intense, and it is definitely intense, but alongside of the difficulty and the pain and the pressure and the resistance that’s coming across faith…there’s a joy that comes with faith that is present in North Korea just as it is in North Carolina.”
“Where people lift up the name of Jesus, good things are happening.”
“We [at Open Doors] certainly don’t know all that’s going on, but we have the most accurate grassroots numbers of anybody out there.”
“When you compare it on sheer numbers and scale and everything, I’d certainly think this is the time that has the most persecution to date.”
“I like to call them ‘drivers,’ the things that are pushing forward the persecution. One is the government, these government systems. The other would be radical ideologies.”