Open Doors
Encyclopedia
Open Doors is a non-denominational
mission
supporting persecuted Christians
in more than 50 countries where Christianity is socially or legally discouraged or oppressed. They are also engaged in the distribution of Bibles and literature, audio recordings, broadcasting and training.
, when he decided to smuggle Bibles to Christians he felt were being discriminated against in the then-Soviet Poland
. Brother Andrew continued this work in smuggling Bibles to many of the Soviet countries and in 1957 was given a blue Volkswagen Beetle
which he used to make deliveries within the Communist bloc. With this new car he was able to carry more literature. Thereafter, the work of Open Doors continued to expand as it extended its network throughout Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.
In 1981, they delivered one million contraband Chinese Bibles in one night to a beach in the village of Gezhou in China on a mission they named Project Pearl. In 1988, Open Doors used Glasnost
as an opportunity to openly provide one million Russian Bibles to the Russian Orthodox Church
, at a cost of $2.5 million. Open Doors partnered with the United Bible Societies
to complete the task in just over one year.
In 2003, Christian Today reported that Open Doors have delivered 4 million Bibles and scriptural documents to persecuted Christians and trained 22,000 pastors and church leaders in that year.
As of August, 2007, Open Doors had offices in 27 countries.
In 2008 Open Doors USA delivered 3.9 million pieces of literature such as Bibles and training materials to people in various countries and regions where religious persecution are said to occur. These including Central Asia, Vietnam, the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa and Egypt.
Currently the first 12 positions of the list are taken by the following countries:
Non-denominational Christianity
In Christianity, nondenominational institutions or churches are those not formally aligned with an established denomination, or that remain otherwise officially autonomous. This, however, does not preclude an identifiable standard among such congregations...
mission
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
supporting persecuted Christians
Persecution of Christians
Persecution of Christians as a consequence of professing their faith can be traced both historically and in the current era. Early Christians were persecuted for their faith, at the hands of both Jews from whose religion Christianity arose, and the Roman Empire which controlled much of the land...
in more than 50 countries where Christianity is socially or legally discouraged or oppressed. They are also engaged in the distribution of Bibles and literature, audio recordings, broadcasting and training.
History
Open Doors was founded in 1955 by Andrew van der Bijl, a Dutchman more widely known as Brother AndrewBrother Andrew
Andrew van der Bijl , known in English-speaking countries as Brother Andrew, is a Christian missionary famous for his exploits smuggling Bibles to communist countries in the height of the Cold War, a feat that has earned him the nickname "God's smuggler"...
, when he decided to smuggle Bibles to Christians he felt were being discriminated against in the then-Soviet Poland
History of Poland (1945–1989)
The history of Poland from 1945 to 1989 spans the period of Soviet Communist dominance imposed after the end of World War II over the People's Republic of Poland...
. Brother Andrew continued this work in smuggling Bibles to many of the Soviet countries and in 1957 was given a blue Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug, is an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003...
which he used to make deliveries within the Communist bloc. With this new car he was able to carry more literature. Thereafter, the work of Open Doors continued to expand as it extended its network throughout Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.
In 1981, they delivered one million contraband Chinese Bibles in one night to a beach in the village of Gezhou in China on a mission they named Project Pearl. In 1988, Open Doors used Glasnost
Glasnost
Glasnost was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of the 1980s...
as an opportunity to openly provide one million Russian Bibles to the Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
, at a cost of $2.5 million. Open Doors partnered with the United Bible Societies
United Bible Societies
The United Bible Societies is a worldwide association of Bible societies. In 1946 delegates from 13 countries formed the UBS, as an effort to coordinate the activities of the bible societies. The first headquarters were London and in Geneva...
to complete the task in just over one year.
In 2003, Christian Today reported that Open Doors have delivered 4 million Bibles and scriptural documents to persecuted Christians and trained 22,000 pastors and church leaders in that year.
As of August, 2007, Open Doors had offices in 27 countries.
In 2008 Open Doors USA delivered 3.9 million pieces of literature such as Bibles and training materials to people in various countries and regions where religious persecution are said to occur. These including Central Asia, Vietnam, the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa and Egypt.
Current work
Open Doors works in many countries around the world giving help to Christians. They are involved in :- Delivering Bibles and other Christian literature
- Providing pastoral and discipleship training
- Conducting seminars on Christian living, family life. "Standing Strong Through the Storm” is the seminar they use to teach churches on how to survive under persecution.
- Running Bible-based literacy courses
- Supplying equipment and vocational training to help widows, families of prisoners of conscience, the displaced, and the unemployed to earn a living
- Providing legal aid and spiritual and emotional comfort to prisoners and their families
- Financing and supplying equipment to pastors, churches, and Bible colleges
- Supplying printing presses, radios, cassette players, photocopiers, and A/V and transport equipment
- Sponsoring Bible colleges, reconciliation ministries and restoration centres for Christian refugees, widows and orphans.
World Watch List
Open Doors also work to inform and motivate the Church to assist Christians it perceives as persecuted. The organisation publishes an annual "World Watch List" that lists the countries they consider to have the strongest persecution of Christians.Currently the first 12 positions of the list are taken by the following countries:
North Korea
Iran
Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia
Somalia
Maldives
Yemen
Iraq
Uzbekistan
Laos
Pakistan
Eritrea
See also
- Brother AndrewBrother AndrewAndrew van der Bijl , known in English-speaking countries as Brother Andrew, is a Christian missionary famous for his exploits smuggling Bibles to communist countries in the height of the Cold War, a feat that has earned him the nickname "God's smuggler"...
- Persecution of ChristiansPersecution of ChristiansPersecution of Christians as a consequence of professing their faith can be traced both historically and in the current era. Early Christians were persecuted for their faith, at the hands of both Jews from whose religion Christianity arose, and the Roman Empire which controlled much of the land...
- Anti-Christian sentiment
- International Christian ConcernInternational Christian ConcernInternational Christian Concern is a non-denominational, non-governmental, Christian watchdog group, located in Washington, DC, whose concern is the human rights of Christians...
, a Christian human rights NGO - Religious intoleranceReligious intoleranceReligious intolerance is intolerance against another's religious beliefs or practices.-Definition:The mere statement on the part of a religion that its own beliefs and practices are correct and any contrary beliefs incorrect does not in itself constitute intolerance...
- Religious persecutionReligious persecutionReligious persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group of individuals as a response to their religious beliefs or affiliations or lack thereof....