When you think of Iran and religion, Christianity is not what comes to mind.
The Middle Eastern nation is not only the largest Shia Muslim country in the world, but also one of the most brutal when it comes to enforcing the principles of the religion. The country’s morality police are again in the international spotlight after they reportedly shot a woman last month for violating the country’s mandatory hijab law, according to the Associated Press.
However, amid the country’s moral violence is a ray of light for Christians: Iran may be in the midst of what some commentators are calling a “Jesus Revolution.”
In an article Tuesday for faith-based outlet CBN News, writer Gary Lane described how “unprecedented numbers of Muslims are choosing to follow Christ, especially in Iran when people are looking for a better life.”
“You have a country with one of the highest rates of drug addiction in the world. You have a country where corruption is widespread. You have a country where more than half of the people live below the poverty line,” said Todd Nettleton of The Voice of the Martyrs, a non-profit organization -a government that focuses on providing support to persecuted Christians.
“And the Iranians look at this and say, ‘Wait a minute. If this is what Islam has brought us to the end of 45 years, we are not interested. We want to know what the other options are.'”
Nettleton said more than a million Muslims have left their faith for Christianity and two-thirds of the country’s 75,000 mosques have been closed – a claim that has been echoed by other outlets such as US-based Iran International, but is difficult to verify due to its nature. Iran’s closed society.
“This is not something that makes the regime happy. And, really, in many ways, they are trying to strengthen their power and destroy different types of deviations,” said Nettleton.
“We have heard many stories about Bible studies this year, a house church was raided. Everyone there was photographed; everyone there was questioned. But then the leaders of the meeting were held there. They were arrested. They were detained. They were put in dungeon.”
However, he said family and friends often find it easier to convert people to Christianity than the government.
“He had the attitude of, ‘Hey, if you find something that works for you, if it’s Jesus or atheism or whatever, if it works for you … I know Islam doesn’t work, so do I. I’m glad you find something that works,'” he said.
The move to Christianity is surprising to those of us who know Iran only as a ruthless theocratic state. However, this is not a new phenomenon; in a 2023 piece for the Washington Stand, a Christian outlet, Lela Gilbert noted that “an important survey conducted in 2020 by Gamaan, a secular research group based in the Netherlands, reported that there are more Christians in Iran than ever before. – more than a million .In fact, those involved in the ‘house church’ movement in Iran believe that there are several million Christians there.
“In research and interviews, it became clear that the testimony of new Christians to others is usually in quiet conversations, supported by low-key online Bible studies, and confirmed by visions, dreams, and miraculously answered prayers. risk, these new Christians enthusiastically talk about their changed lives with friends and loved ones – but quietly and cautiously. However, the discreet but persistent witness of the extraordinary number of people- the new Iranian believers, who met in a small house church,” he wrote.
“This house church usually has no more than 10 to 15 believers. On a given day, they come, one by one, to a small apartment or other obscure location. After the last one enters, the door is closed and locked, and everyone take a deep breath and relax, greet each other well.”
And, one of the church leaders quoted by Gilbert noted that this is not only in spite of the country, but because from that, also: “What if I tell you that mosques are empty in Iran? What if I tell you that nobody follows Islam in Iran?” said. “What if I told you the best evangelist for Jesus is Ayatollah Khomeini (founder of the Islamic Republic)?”
Don Shenk, executive director of The Tide Ministry, said the incident in Iran also reflects a broader trend, according to CBN.
“I think what’s happening there really reflects what’s happening in the Islamic world,” he said.
“We got feedback from listeners who said, you know, now I know that God loves me. I always thought that God wanted to punish me,” Shenk said. “And I think there’s an awakening happening all over the Muslim world, not just in Iran.”
Shenk said countries that have seen recent growth include Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and war-torn Yemen.
Nettleton agreed, citing – in one instance – a recent openness to Christians from nearby Saudi Arabia.
“It’s not always welcome with open arms, obviously. But it’s just an understanding that can happen, that there are Christians here,” he said.
“And maybe it’s not the worst thing in the world. It’s a change from what we would have seen 10 or 15 or 20 years ago.
However, these men and women are still giving their lives to follow Jesus Christ. This is truly an amazing “Revolution of Jesus”, but it is also a reminder that they need prayer to grow in faith and have God’s protection over them. It’s an amazing story – and it’s sure to have a heavenly reward. We can only hope that the spiritual transformation of this Iranian Christian is also mirrored in the worldly state of that country, as well.
This article first appeared in The Western Journal.