L y o n / B a g d a d (EBPS) – Despite daily terror attacks, ever more Iraqis are becoming believers. A delegate from Baghdad noted this at the European Baptist Federation (EBF) Council sessions taking place in Lyon, France from 28 to 30 September. “The church of Jesus Christ is growing,” claimed the 29-year-old, who requested for security reasons that his name not be mentioned. In the last two years, 40 new evangelical congregations have come into being in Baghdad alone. His own Baptist congregation has grown from 40 to 250 members. “Many have fled to foreign countries because of the violence,” said the Baptist. “Had they stayed home, we would have 500 members today.” He conceded that he has also often been tempted to “leave for the West”. Yet as a Christian he must ask himself, “what is God’s will for me? I believe God desires that I live in Iraq. That’s one reason why I was born there.” His congregation in the Baghdad district of Karkh has formed a branch to help accommodate new members. Five more church-planting initiatives are meeting in private quarters. Growth in the number of Christians is linked to the latent threat prominent in the country: „People are open to God.”

The Iraqi pointed to an example stemming from the previous week. One of his Baptist congregation’s mission teams, which visits the needy and endangered every Tuesday, visited a Muslim family whose son had been critically injured in a terrorist attack. The conversation comforted the family and awakened interest in the Christian faith. “God desires neither war nor the many terrorist attacks. But he uses such situations to build his kingdom,” added the EBF-delegate.

He also expressed certainty that the suicide bombers who blow themselves up on virtually a daily basis are not Iraqis: “An Iraqi would never do another Iraqi evil.” They instead are foreigners directed by terrorist organisations: “They also are not Muslims.” Terrorist acts cannot be described as religious-motivated battles, the issue is strictly one of politics and influence. Because Christians despite their growth remain a tiny minority, they have not become a primary attack target. The young Iraqi refuted press reports claiming that Iraqi Christians are particularly endangered: “That simply is not true.”

He regards his country’s occupation by foreign troops with mixed feelings: “No one is glad when foreign troops are stationed in one’s home country.” Yet the security situation is not so, that these troops could leave his country immediately, even though he personally would prefer that: “We probably still need to wait one or two years.”