Martyrdom In Eastern Turkey – April 23 (Expanded April 23)

There was an event last week that barely ticked the radar screen that is pretty significant.
Three Christians in Eastern Turkey were brutally martyred (literally mutilated with knives) for the faith at a church office that also was a publishing house. One of the murdered was German. Eleven people have been arrested but what makes this significant is that Turkey is trying to get into the European Union and those countries that are hesitant to permit it are nervous about the genuine presence of religious freedom in the country, something the EU requires. Add to this elections approaching there and the situation is worth keeping an eye on. For those who wish to catch up on the story and the dialogue, here is a good summary article:

There was an event last week that barely ticked the radar screen that is pretty significant.
Three Christians in Eastern Turkey were brutally martyred (literally mutilated with knives) for the faith at a church office that also was a publishing house. One of the murdered was German. Eleven people have been arrested but what makes this significant is that Turkey is trying to get into the European Union and those countries that are hesitant to permit it are nervous about the genuine presence of religious freedom in the country, something the EU requires. Add to this elections approaching there and the situation is worth keeping an eye on. For those who wish to catch up on the story and the dialogue, here is a good summary article:
Report: Germany’s Merkel urges Turkey to fight intolerance after Christians killed
There are not many Christians in Turkey, so the danger is quite intense. This is something to pray about.
There is video of the funeral for one of the men who left a widow and two daughters as well as unedited video of the crime scene.

• –Funeral video. (YouTube Video: warning some tough content)
• –Unedited Video of the scene on the day of the murders. (YouTube Video: warning some tough content)
• –More. (YouTube Video: warning some tough content)

-Bock