Across from me sits Umut. These days, he is busy helping earthquake victims in Turkey with other converted Christians. But otherwise, he is the pastor of one of the oldest convert churches in Turkey and penman of the Association of Protestant Churches' annual report on human rights violations against convert Christians.
Are Christians persecuted in Turkey?
It is wrong to say that Christians are persecuted in Turkey. In the West, there is a lot of talk about persecution of Christians, but in Turkey we distinguish between persecution and pressure. For us, persecution means closing and burning churches, arresting Christians, putting converts under house arrest by their families and threatening pastors. Turkey is not there at the moment.
It would be wrong to our brothers and sisters in Iran and Pakistan who are being persecuted if we said that we are also being persecuted. For us, being under pressure means, for example, that we are not allowed to hold street meetings. In addition, many former Muslims experience resistance from their family and classmates when they become Christians. Christians are forced to study Islam in school. There are also attempts to close down churches for non-objective reasons. Some Christians are stigmatized in the media, such as missionaries who are portrayed as criminals.
But on the other hand, we have Christian TV in Turkish, we have Christian bookstores, we can legally meet in churches and we can evangelize.
Are there regional differences?
In every region of the country you can find oppression. Last Easter, in the Black Sea region, our church plant wanted to celebrate Easter in a hotel and invited the public to the meeting. Demonstrators did not want a church in the region and protested, so the police had to protect the Christians. The owner who had rented the room to the church received threats. It is a church supported by the Danish European Mission's improvers and donors.
Something similar has happened in the south-east of the country, where a priest said that pictures of him and his family were shown in the media and they were portrayed as a threat. In smaller towns, the risk is greater.
Do the police take Christians' requests seriously?
Yes, the police take threats seriously. At Christmas, the anti-terrorist police came to our church and told us about a possible threat. They said they would protect us and made sure our security cameras were working and that they knew our meeting times.
There may be exceptions, but in general, the police protect us converted Christians. It's not necessarily because they like us, but because it's their job to protect us.
Is the repression coming from civil society or the authorities?
If the media promotes nationalism, there will be pressure from civil society. Local media and politicians can speak out harshly against Christians, but the government is not putting pressure on Christians at the moment.
How do you share the Gospel with Muslims?
I used to be a Muslim, and the majority of Turks are Muslim. It provides opportunities for conversation when I say that I am a Christian and a Turk at the same time. It surprises people. That's why it's best for Christians with a Muslim background to reach out to Muslims. We often see friends and family members becoming Christians. We have an example where 40-50 people in one family have become Christians just because one person became a Christian.
"We are not ashamed of the gospel and of saying that we are Christians."
At the church's last Christmas celebration, 500 people attended, but there was only room for 350 in the building. 150 could not get in. More than half were non-Christians. When I talk to other pastors from all over the country, they all say the same thing. There is a lot of interest in the church right now from Muslims.
What is the reason for the spiritual quest?
The first is political, as there has been an Islamic government in the country that has created a backlash. People are looking for alternatives. Sociologically, the church has become more and more visible and many want to find out who we are. Spiritually, Christians around the world have been praying, crying and evangelizing, and many seeds have been planted over the years that are now bearing fruit. I believe the church will see more vigorous growth in the coming years. We are expecting a revival, big or small. The darkness is growing and there is an economic crisis - but in the darkness the light of Jesus shines.
The Turkish church is full of hope. Because God is doing wonderful things.
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Facts and figures: Umut has a degree in sociology and has been General Secretary of the Association of Protestant Churches in Turkey for a number of years. He thus speaks on behalf of the convert church in Turkey to the authorities. As pastor of one of Turkey's oldest churches, consisting of ethnic Turks who have converted from Islam, he has a historical overview of the development of the convert church. Danish European Mission helps this church with leadership training and church planting.
