Church of God Protests Terrorist Violence

The world was shocked this week as the news surfaced of 21 Egyptian Christians having been brutally slaughtered by Libyan extremists who identified themselves with the Islamic State (ISIS). Dr. Mark L. Williams, general overseer and presiding bishop of the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) issued the following statement:

The Church of God extends its sympathy and the assurance of our prayers to the families of the 21 Coptic Christians who were martyred by Islamic religious zealots, and deplores the actions of those who have unfeelingly committed these horrendous and unthinkable acts.We stand with people of faith throughout the Christian world who condemn the savagery exhibited by these who have adopted the violent tactics of their fellow religionists in other parts of the Middle East.We applaud the response of the Egyptian government in mourning those who have died and in calling for swift action against the perpetrators, and we call upon the U.S. government to proclaim in no uncertain terms the determination to do all within their power to protect the lives of Christians and peaceful practitioners of faith wherever they worship.

Video accounts show the 21 Christians being marched to a beach on the coast of Libya, accompanied by a similar number of Muslim fighters, made to kneel, and then beheaded. The young men could be seen praying as they knelt. As the murders began, all of them together shouted, “Jesus, help us!”The 21 were Coptic Orthodox believers, part of one of the most ancient forms of Christianity, whose traditions claim their church was founded by Mark, one of Christ’s 12 disciples, in Alexandria, Egypt. The church flourished for half a millennium, until Islamic forces invaded Egypt and forced conversions. Today an estimated 8 million Coptic Christians live among 82 million majority Muslim Egyptians.Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has reportedly called for an urgent meeting with top Egyptian national security officials to take steps to protect Copts, who have recently been in the crosshairs of persecution in the country.