This month, World Relief published an updated report in collaboration with Open Doors USA. The report explores how changes in U.S. immigration policy have impacted persecuted Christians worldwide.
The first edition of this report, published in 2020, noted soberly that an estimated 80 million people were displaced from their homes, and that at least 260 million Christians worldwide lived under the threat of persecution and discrimination.
Today, those numbers have risen significantly. More than 120 million people are displaced from their homes, and the number of Christians who face high levels of persecution or discrimination on account of their faith has risen to 365 million.
While not every persecuted Christian flees their home, and not every displaced person is persecuted on account of their religion, these numbers certainly are related. When religious persecution becomes severe, often compounded by other pressures, many determine that their only option is to flee. Some flee to another place within their country, others to another country as refugees.
Helping U.S. Churches Understand the Issues
Our goal with this report is to help the U.S. church recognize that issues of international religious freedom and forced displacement are closely related.
The first edition of the report, titled Closed Doors: Persecuted Christians and U.S. Refugee Resettlement and Asylum Process, was published in 2020 at a time when the United States had drastically restricted refugee resettlement, including resettlement of those persecuted on account of their Christian faith. The number of Christian refugees resettled in 2020 from the 50 countries on that year’s Open Doors World Watch List was down 90% from the number who had arrived in 2015.
By the next edition, published in 2023 under the same title, those numbers had started to rebound (only marginally, however) as the U.S. began opening its doors to welcome a higher number of refugees again.
The latest edition of the report has necessitated a new title: The State of The Golden Door: Persecuted Christians and the U.S. Refugee Resettlement and Asylum Processes. This report shows that the number of persecuted Christians resettled in the U.S. has risen as refugee resettlement has increased in the U.S. This newest report explores the nuances of these numbers and how current and future immigration policies might affect persecuted Christians across the globe.
Advocating for Religious Freedom
At World Relief, we believe all people have the right to religious freedom, and that religious minorities of any sort — not just those who share our Christian faith — should be protected.
Jesus’ all-encompassing command to love our neighbors clearly extends beyond love for those who share your same faith. All human beings are made in God’s image (Gen. 1:27) and their lives are worth protecting.
While the United States has made religious freedom a priority of domestic and foreign policy, religious persecution continues to be a driver of displacement, including for Christians. We believe the U.S. government’s commitment to religious freedom necessitates an equally enduring responsibility toward policy that supports refugees and asylum seekers.
At the same time, we also believe Christians in the U.S. have an important role to play in standing with our persecuted Christians and with all who face religious persecution. Read our press release.
Here’s How You Can Help
Time and time again we’ve witnessed the transformative impact the church can have when it moves together, speaking out against injustices and mobilizing its people and communities to create change. That’s why we are calling on you to join us in this work to support those experiencing religious persecution.
Together, we can:
- Advocate: God has given you a voice. Steward it well by using it to urge your elected officials to support refugee and asylum policies that offer refuge to those facing religious persecution.
- Volunteer: Form a Good Neighbor Team and help welcome an immigrant family to your community.
- Give: Whether they’re rebuilding their home in the wake of a disaster or being resettled in a new country as a refugee, your gift supports displaced people at every step of their journey.
By joining World Relief, you can reduce suffering for Christians and others affected by religious persecution around the world. Will you join us?