*Christians are the world’s most widely persecuted religious group, according to studies by the Pew Research Center, Newsweek, and the Economist, among others**.***

A woman is caught with a Bible and publicly shot to death. An elderly priest is abducted and never seen again. Three buses full of students and teachers are struck by roadside bombs. These are not casualties of a war. These are Christian believers being persecuted for their faith in the twenty-first century.

Many Americans do not understand that Christians today are victims in many parts of the world. Even many Western Christians, who worship and pray without fear of violent repercussions, are unaware that so many followers of Christ live under governments and among people who are often openly hostile to their faith. They think martyrdom became a rarity long ago.

Persecuted soundly refutes these assumptions. This book offers a glimpse at the modern-day life of Christians worldwide, recounting the ongoing attacks that rarely make international headlines.

As Western Christians pray for the future of Christ’s church, it is vital that they understand a large part of the world’s Christian believers live in danger. Persecuted gives documented accounts of the persecution of Christians in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and former Soviet nations. It contains vivid stories of men and women who suffer abuse because of their faith in Jesus Christ, and tells of their perseverance and courage..

Persecuted is far more than a thorough and moving  study of this global pattern of violence—it is a cry for freedom and a call to action.

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A timely journalistic look inside worldwide Christian persecution.

The persecution of Christians is widespread and increasing in many areas. In 2010, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, the gold standard of contemporary religion statistics, concluded that Christians are the most widely persecuted religious group in the world. In December 2010, the Vatican reported the same conclusion. This timely and well-documented book tells this story well, in a journalistic and lively way, punctuated with compelling stories.

"Persecuted "offers readers an overview of Christian persecution, analyzing patterns of repression, abuse, and violence across the globe. It explores the reasons that specific ideological, religious, and political groups and establishments target Christian believers as enemies. Woven throughout are vivid examples of Christians persecuted and harassed for their faith. These cases illuminate the courage it takes to be a Christian in today's world. The book provides examples of how the church, including the American church, has successfully diminished or halted repression in other countries, and suggests the steps we can take together in the future.

About the Author

Paul Marshall is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom, Washington, D.C. He is the award-winning author of more than twenty books and has spoken on religious freedom, international relations, and radical Islam before Congress and the U.S. State Department and in many other nations.

Lela Gilbert is a Gold Medallion–winning freelance writer/editor of more than sixty books, including the award–winning Blind Spot: When Journalists Don't Get Religion. She is a contributor to the Jerusalem Post, Weekly Standard Online, National Review Online, and other publications. She is an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute and resides in California and Jerusalem.

Nina Shea, an international human rights lawyer for thirty years, joined the Hudson Institute as a senior fellow in November 2006, where she directs the Center for Religious Freedom. Both Republican and Democratic administrations have appointed her a US delegate to the United Nation's main human rights body.