The 2017 World Watch List has been released by Open Doors. Each year the World Watch List gives detailed analysis of Christian persecution worldwide. Countries are evaluated and ranked according to the severity of persecution that occurred in the past year. The World Watch List is a ranking of 50 countries where persecution of Christians for religious reasons is worst. The list covers persecution of Christians of all denominations in the entire country. The focus is on persecution for their faith, not persecution for political, economic, social, ethnic or accidental reasons. The World Watch List is part of the mission at Open Doors to inform and inspire others with the message of the persecuted. Join the cause of the persecuted and share the World Watch List with your friends and family. (This information was taken from various materials supplied by Open Doors.)

Of course, the country ranked #1 on the WWL is North Korea, as it has for the last 14 years, scoring 92 out of 100 based on the criteria used to evaluate religious persecution. It is important to note that Somalia jumped back to #2 on the list after being in that same position on the 2015 WWL list and then falling to #7 on the 2016 list and then scoring 91/100 – just one point lower than the well-known oppressive regime of North Korea. This is an indication of the extreme rise in attacks on Christians and churches in the last year in that country.

The 12th chapter of the book 1 Corinthians tells us that individual Christians are like the individual members of a body. We make up the body of Christ. And when one member of that body suffers, we should all suffer with it. We have brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering acutely all over the world simply because they are Christians. We have not just the responsibility but also the deep privilege of upholding them in prayer, giving them encouragement, and bringing their situation to light through whatever means we can.

Use the 2017 World Watch List to make yourself and others aware of what is happening around the globe as well as to take action on behalf of those who are suffering. And don’t forget to PRAY for the persecuted. Open Doors provides a monthly prayer guide to help you pray in specific ways. You can go here to view or download the prayer guide. Learn other ways you can take action on behalf of persecuted Christians here.