Some people play capture the flag every night. But their rules are a little different. The game still happens at night, and still operates on the stealth principle. But instead of looking for a flag, they’re looking for their church. Teammates and allies are identified by secret signals. The other team is the government or military police. Jail is real, and so is the torture and death that occurs there. The only safe zone they have is in their homes, and even that’s uncertain.
In some countries, this is life for Christians. This is the underground church.
Americans have the amazing privilege of worshiping as they please under the First Amendment of the Constitution, and it’s difficult to imagine fleeing the secret police while trying to find family members who have been kidnapped or imprisoned by the government, and getting to the body of covert believers. These people risk their lives on a daily basis to pursue their faith.
Put yourself in that situation. For the sake of argument, if you’re not a Christian, substitute your chosen religion or non-religion: You’ve just been caught out after curfew by the government police. You’re given a choice: renounce the belief system that you’ve chosen to follow as truth, or die. Of course, death isn’t the only option. You might be tortured, and then led into the town marketplace the next day to watch a line of strangers chosen at random be killed right in front of you because you won’t divulge the name of your pastor or leader.
I don’t write this to instill fear and concern for me or my team, but the August Racers are going to more closed countries than any Race before us. Between Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, over half our route brings us to places where Christians are objects of discrimination. We won’t be facing death while we’re in each of these countries, but it’s very possible that our contacts might. While they live their lives underground out of necessity, the most we as Americans would risk would be a slap on the wrist and deportation.
Despite the fact that I know the risk for me and my team is minimal, it certainly adds a good deal of responsibility to my shoulders. Race alumni have shared stories of what has happened when information slips out. The last thing I want to have on my conscience is a missionary’s death or the raiding of an orphanage.
I don’t even want to consider what child soldier hide-and-seek would look like.
*Image from http://media.photobucket.com/image/woods%20at%20night/ammojunkie/HPIM1717.jpg?t=1192722748
