FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OPEN DOORS USA
Jerry Dykstra, Media Relations Director
Phone: 616-915-4117
Email: JerryD@odusa.org
Website: www.OpenDoorsUSA.org

SANTA ANA, Calif. (March 19, 2014)) - Open Doors USA, an international Christian ministry which supports and strengthens persecuted Christians in almost 60 of the world's most dangerous countries, has named Christianity Today (CT) magazine as the recipient of the sixth annual "Passion for the Persecuted" award.

The award is presented to a media organization which has established an on-going commitment to inform its audience about the plight of persecuted Christians around the world.

Regarding the Open Doors award, Christianity Today CEO Harold B. Smith says, "We are deeply honored and humbled to receive such recognition. It speaks to our deep and ongoing commitment to telling the stories of the suffering church, to showcasing God's miraculous moving in and through his faithful servants, and to lifting up the name of Christ for the encouragement of his church worldwide."

Open Doors USA President/CEO Dr. David Curry states: "Christianity Today has a long history of articulating the story of persecuted Christians and advocating for religious freedom in countries around the world. CT has continued to write about persecution in a very accurate, professional and timely manner. There is no doubt that it has raised awareness in the West about persecuted Christians. Open Doors, and of course members of the Persecuted Church, are thankful for its commitment to keeping believers informed from a Christian worldview."

In its first issue on Oct. 15, 1956, Christianity Today declared its commitment to addressing global issues by saying, "Neglected, slighted, misrepresented - evangelical Christianity needs a clear voice, to speak with conviction and love, and to state its true position and its relevance to the world crisis." One aspect of the world crisis in 1956 was decreasing religious freedom. The year before CT was launched, Brother Andrew began his God-inspired outreach (Open Doors) to persecuted believers in Eastern Europe and the then-USSR. But persecution was on the rise worldwide - in places such as China, India, Pakistan, North Africa and elsewhere.

"The editors of Christianity Today well understood how brutally repressive governments at that time posed a grave threat to individual believers and the church, as well as all religious groups," says Timothy Morgan, CT's senior editor for global journalism.

This commitment by CT to the global church carried forward with the magazine's sponsorship with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association of the 1966 World Congress on Evangelism through 2010 with the Lausanne Convention in Cape Town, South Africa.

"Especially through the award-winning news section, CT informed its readers about the struggle of everyday Christians for robust religious freedom in every region of the world, including Cuba, Egypt, Russia (after the Soviet collapse), the Middle East, Pakistan, Sudan and many of the world's hot spots," says Morgan.

"Also, the magazine's editorial page has been a persistent critic of politicians and policy makers in Washington, D.C., when they ignore the role of faith in the nation's foreign affairs. It supported enactment of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. The magazine was also influential in its support for protecting domestic religious freedom for pastors, churches and faith-based nonprofits."

Recently CT published articles about Syria, Egypt, India, Ukraine, Germany, Honduras and Russia that addressed the lack of full religious freedom, "which undermines all other freedoms and inhibits the ability of individuals to respond to the gospel message of Jesus Christ," adds Morgan.

A nonprofit, Christianity Today Inc. publishes and produces online Christianity Today, Leadership, Books & Culture, Church Law & Tax Report, Today's Christian Woman, Building Church Leaders, Preaching Today, and many other editorial products and services. For more information, go to www.ChristianityToday.org

Past "Passion for the Persecuted" recipients include Mission Network News, Moody Radio's Prime Time America, Christian Post Internet, ASSIST News Service and World Magazine.

Open Doors USA will present a plaque to Christianity Today officials at the Evangelical Press Association Conference on Monday, May 5 in Anaheim, Calif.

For almost 60 years Open Doors has worked in the world's most oppressive and restrictive countries, strengthening Christians to stand strong in the face of persecution and equipping them to shine Christ's light in these places. Open Doors empowers persecuted Christians in the areas of Bible and gospel development, women and children's advancement and Christian community restoration. Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world and are oppressed in at least 60 countries. To partner with Open Doors USA, call toll free at 888-5-BIBLE-5 (888-524-2535) or go to www.OpenDoorsUSA.org.

(To set up an interview or for more information, contact Jerry Dykstra at 616-915-4117 or email jerryd@odusa.org.)