Persecution and Political Engagement – International Christian Concern

By Dr. Greg Cochran, ICC Fellow
Recently, The State of Theology Research Report, compiled by Ligonier Ministries, was released.  
In this latest study, most evangelical Christians (54%) agreed with the statement: Christians should not allow their religious beliefs to influence their political decisions. In one sense, this is not surprising because past studies have produced similar results. At least since John F. Kennedy offered his assurances to the Houston Ministerial Association in 1960, Americans have grown comfortable with relegating faith — religious beliefs — to a “private” sphere that somehow remains separate from the “public” sphere of everyday life. Such a disconnect has proved dubious, yet the sentiment lives on, even among evangelicals. 
In another sense, Christians often grow the depth of their convictions over time, recognizing that “the earth is the Lord’s and all who are in it.” Christians realize “in him we live and move and have our being.” They learn that the commands of the Lord are not burdensome, but wholesome and life-giving. Thus, they grow into the command: “Whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). Not only must Christians obey such commands, but they also are expected to grow in the desire to love others for God’s sake. And part of loving others is sharing truth, publicly and privately. 
Nevertheless, cultural pressure forces Christians to approach their lives more like the old stovetop pressure cookers: pots in which the lid is sealed shut while everything inside the pot is expected to stay locked under pressure. Sure, have your heartfelt convictions, but keep them to yourselves. Apparently, 54% of Christians believe this dubious scheme of public/private dualism could be right. It is not. 
As the Apostle Paul said in his defense before King Agrippa regarding the missional work of Christians, “None of these things has escaped [the king’s] notice, for this has not been done in a corner” (Acts 26:25-26, ESV). Christians tend to act publicly for the sake of the gospel mission and for the good of human thriving. 
In another situation, Paul was arrested for his gospel work in Philippi. Paul and Silas were apprehended, beaten, and thrown into a dungeon with shackles chaining them to the floor. (This is the remarkable incident in which their singing praises coincided with an earthquake, which subsequently led to the Philippian jailer and his household being saved.) But to the political point, Paul and Silas were set free the next morning, but Paul determined in that moment that political involvement would be better than walking away from prison that morning. He called the magistrates to account. He confronted them publicly and stated his case that he — a Roman citizen — had been beaten and jailed without a trial.  
Why politics instead of release? Because Paul understood that his case might become a pattern. Christians might be beaten and jailed without trial or justice in the future (as he was) if he walked away silently. He sacrificed immediate freedom for justice in the days to come. He would help Christians and other minorities by preventing them from being beaten and jailed unjustly. 
Similarly, Christians in America have an obligation to live publicly, and that will sometimes mean politically. Of course, there are many cautions in order; the greatest caution might be simply remembering that Jesus Christ is Lord and there is no competition. The Christian’s first and most important allegiance is to Christ. But there is space in the American system of a democratic republic to participate politically for the sake of truth and justice for all. Not all nations offer such an opportunity to citizens. In some contexts, a public profession of faith in Christ can lead to execution or at least to severe persecution. But in the U.S., this is not the case. 
Christians can (and should) engage politically like Paul for the good of others, especially for the good of other Christians. For more than a year now, International Christian Concern (ICC) has been calling for more Christian involvement. More than a year ago, ICC released its full report on Nigeria. The report was issued to the U.S. Department of State and called for Nigeria to be added to the Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) list.  
In March of this year, we reported that the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa conducted hearings and concluded that President Trump ought to place Nigeria back on the CPC list on account of the years of heavy persecution against Christians in the country. The government of Nigeria appears unable or unwilling to curb the violence. In the past five years, tens of thousands of Christians have been killed, kidnapped, or charged with blasphemy under Sharia law. In addition, hundreds of thousands have lost their homes and livelihoods.  
More recently, the U.S. Senate has become involved. Sen. Ted Cruz has introduced legislation to designate Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern. The legislation intends to hold the government of Nigeria accountable for confronting and remedying the growing violence against Christians (and minority Muslims): 
“The Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025 introduces measures to confront these abuses head-on. It would impose targeted sanctions — including travel bans and asset freezes — on Nigerian officials who facilitate religious violence or enforce repressive blasphemy laws. It requires the U.S. Secretary of State to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act, recognizing the gravity of the violations. It also mandates that Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa remain designated as Entities of Particular Concern, ensuring that counterterrorism pressure does not ease.” 
Not only can Christians in the U.S. support political efforts such as this, but we ought also to do so. Christians ought to remember the persecuted and identify with them. Calling out injustice can lead to justice. Bringing attention and accountability to the Nigerian concerns may help Nigerians like Yahaya Sharif-Aminu get justice. Yahaya has just been granted an appeal to the Supreme Court of Nigeria, which will hear the charges of blasphemy against him. Yahaya is a Christian musician who included a line in a song which simply said, “I prefer my prophet to Prophet Mohammed.” For this, he was sentenced to death. Blasphemy laws are at best unhelpful, at worst a weapon of death and torment.  
Christians must never surrender the gospel mission to political action. Again, the real king is Jesus, and the final mission is his. Therefore, alongside political engagement, Christians will endeavor to fulfill the instructions Paul once delivered to the Galatians:  
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:9-10, ESV). 
Some good things to do for Christians in Nigeria include funding Christian farms so believers have a safe place to work and grow food for themselves and others; contributing to a fund to help Nigerian widows whose husbands have been killed for their faith; and using funds to purchase chickens or a small stove so the widows can feed themselves.  
The point here is the same one Jesus made to his first disciples. According to Jesus, the world would not know his followers by their political affiliation. Rather, Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35, ESV).  
Christians love Christ, love one another, and engage in politics for the sake of justice. 
To read more stories, visit the ICC Newsroom. For interviews, please email [email protected]. 
The Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) is a terrorist organization that emerged in 2016 after splitting from Boko Haram. It is affiliated with ISIS and operates primarily in Nigeria and the surrounding region, targeting both civilians and military forces.
ISWAP has been responsible for numerous attacks, including assaults on Christian communities, kidnappings, and executions, as part of its broader jihadist agenda.
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These violent actions contribute to ongoing instability in northern Nigeria, where religious and ethnic tensions remain high.
The international community, including the United Nations and several governments, has condemned ISWAP’s attacks, recognizing them as acts of terrorism.
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