May 2003 - Evangelicals Now - Christian Newspaper

The TV news has concentrated on the strategy of war in Iraq and the toppling of Saddam's statue, but, on both sides of the firing line, there are other stories to tell...

Pocket New Testament and Psalms, produced for the Armed Forces by Scripture Gift Mission, have been in increasingly high demand in the Gulf. The camouflage-covered and ship-crested Bibles are proving an essential piece of kit for frontline troops.

Reporting from Kuwait, one army chaplain wrote: 'There are many opportunities here, and padres are in great demand - as are the Scriptures... At times I have had queues of troops waiting outside my tent to receive a copy of the New Testament and Psalms'.

The story is the same across the forces. Lt. Commander Martin Hines of Scripture Gift Mission said: 'One RAF padre rang me "amazed" at the rate at which his supply of New Testament and Psalms were disappearing - with men whom he would have "least expected" readily helping themselves to the Bibles and Bible booklets from a table in the Mess tent. The awful reality of war is concentrating these young minds on great spiritual questions'.

US soldier missing

A soldier known for his deep Christian faith and involvement in his church is among a group of American soldiers whose whereabouts are unknown.

Nolen Ryan Hutchings (Ryan to friends), a member of Northbrook Baptist Church in Boiling Springs, South Carolina, was among seven marines involved in operations on the outskirts of Nasiriyah on March 23; three of them have since been confirmed dead.

'He had a deep faith in the Lord', Northbrook Baptist pastor Wayne Dickard told Baptist Press. 'If he is alive - and we hope and pray that he is - then our prayer is that he will be returned to his family. We're trying to encourage the family and pray for them. I can't imagine what they're facing.'

First female POW

30-year-old Army Specialist Shoshana Johnson was the first female prisoner of war taken by Iraqi forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom. A video of Johnson has been aired showing her nervously answering questions from her Iraqi captors. The video showed her with a bandage on her ankle, but otherwise looking in good health.

Margaret Henderson, Shoshana Johnson's aunt, is a retired nurse who served in the Air Force and was deployed in 1990 in the Gulf War. She appealed for a time of prayer for the safety of Shoshana and other POWs. Shoshana is a single mother of a two-year-old daughter.

'Miracle' rescue

Family and friends of a 19-year-old army private missing in action in Iraq for nine days are crediting God with her dramatic rescue. They say Jessica Lynch was found alive and safe, on April 2, partly due to the prayers of people from her tiny West Virginia town.

Lynch's company was ambushed near Nasiriyah on March 23. Of that unit, two members have been confirmed dead. Five were shown on Iraqi TV as POWs. Eight others were listed as missing, including Lynch. Her loved ones had clung to the hope that the military supply clerk had survived the ambush.

Rodney Watson, Lynch's softball coach, said his fellow deacons got news of the rescue while attending a meeting at Elizabeth Baptist Church. 'We all jumped up and grabbed each other, hugging everybody and giving thanks to our merciful Lord', he said.

Living with the war

On March 31, Bartulla, a Christian village just 12km from Mosul, was bombed when coalition planes hit the local Ba'ath party HQ.

It is reported that approximately 20 Christians were killed and 75 wounded in this tragedy, which thankfully has, so far, been an isolated incident.

Iraq's 700,000-strong Christian community, approximately half of whom live in areas under the control of Saddam Hussein's regime, and half in the Kurdish areas of the north, have been suffering alongside their Muslim neighbours. Until the bombing of Bartulla, they had been largely spared the tragic casualties of war. The main problem for both Christian and Muslim Iraqis is the stress and psychological pressure caused by bombing which sometimes occurs 24 hours a day. People have been very afraid, sleep has been difficult, children have been distressed and crying.

Schools were closed a month ago on government instructions, and there have been many reports of weapons and ammunition being stored in these civilian buildings. This has been causing worry to local people because of the likelihood that they might be targeted for an air attack. It seems that the coalition bombing campaign is largely successful in hitting only military targets, but is still producing collateral damage even when a missile doesn't go astray.

Christians flee

Many Christians have left Baghdad to return to their ancestral homelands in the north of Iraq until the war is over. The refugees from the capital are being housed in churches, schools and people's homes.

Barnabas Fund's partners spoke with Christian leaders from over 70 churches across Iraq before the bombing of Iraqi telecommunication systems made contact by phone virtually impossible. 'This conflict has forced us to live for each other and focus on helping each other get through these times of great danger. But we trust in God's support, his protection and strength', one Iraqi Christian said.

The Christians are also aware of the sufferings of their Muslim neighbours and try to offer help. Their witness and compassion will have a far-reaching impact upon their communities, said one Christian leader.

Some Christians have fled into Syria. The regime of Saddam Hussein threatened to execute those who fled, and to seize the homes they left behind.

In the 12 years since the end of the first Gulf War, the Christian population of Iraq dropped dramatically from 1.5 million to 700,000 as Christians fled the country under the combined pressures of Saddam Hussein's regime, UN sanctions and hostility from their Muslim neighbours. Tension for Christians increased markedly during the war in Afghanistan when some were deliberately discriminated against in the distribution of food rations, being derided as 'Crusaders' and told to ask America for food instead.

Barnabas Fund, Religion Today and Scripture Gift Mission

Faith on the front line

Other stories about the war in Iraq

US soldier missing

First female POW

'Miracle' rescue

Living with the war

Christians flee

Main Articles

Other articles