Q.

Peter, explain the

meaning of the name of your
missions organization,
Frontline Fellowship ..
A. Frontline Fellowship is
celebrating its fifteenth
anniversary this year. For the
last fifteen years we have been
serving the suffering and
persecuted church in Africa.
The narrie "Frontline
Fellowsl;lip" came as a result
of the desire for the
origin of our group in
a prayer group at an
army base on the
border in South
Africa. We were
involved in the war
against the
done in illegal areas where the
Gospel is illegal, where Bibles
may not be taken in. We have
to smuggle in Scriptures and
carry out our missionary
work llnder threat of
persecution. Thatl; what we
have been dolng in the
Marxist and Muslim countries
of Africa. We aim to be in
fellowship with the
churches by
. . - . ' .
Communists in South Africa,
Southwest Africa, and Angola, personally visiting them and
and against other Marxists in by them and
the area. Thus we were on the speaking up for them through
front lines. publications and interviews.
We are ministering to Q. What is the current
countries which call situation for Christians in
themselves the Frontline Africa?
States - Mozambique and A. Byron, the situation is
Angola. These were quite serious. We have three
communist states which were major threats to the Christian
on the front line of battle to church - Islam in the north,
advance Marxism in Africa witchcraft in the center, and
against South Africa. Also, we commUnism espedally in the
want to be on the front line of south. TheSe are the three
missionary work - reaching , great missionary challenges to
the unreached, ministering to the church in 'Africa. Each
those in the neglected areas one is persecuting the church.
and resistance areas, In the north seventeen
effectively going where countries are Islamic states.
conventional missionaries Every one of those countries
cannot go or are not allowed persecutes the Christian
to go. Basically our work is to one degree or
2 .. THE COUNSEL fOctoberiNovember, 1997
. another - some violently so,
such as in the Sudan. In the .
central area where witchcraft
is a problem, the holocaust in
Rwanda was caused by
witchcraft. The witchcraft-
dominated Hutu majority
slaughtered the Protestant
Tutsi minority. In Angola, for
example, it is communism
that is persecuting the
Christian church. Yet the
African church is
seeing incredible
growth - six million
annually - net gain.
While evangelism
is being done fairly
effectively;
discipleship is not.
This is one of the greatest
burdens of our mission. We
want to get in the literature,
to give out Bibles, and to run
leadership training courses,
Biblical worldview seminars,
and discipleship training
courses. We seek to apply the
word of God to every area of
life. Uterature distribution
and leadership training are
two of our main ministries,
along with love in action,
relief, and medical care for
those who are suffering
persecution.
Q. What are some dangers
you have faced in your
travels?
A. Most recently two
members of our mission came
under helicopter gunship
attack in Sudan. They were
smuggling approximately one
thousand Arabic Bibles deep
behind enemy lines into a
Muslim controlled area. They
had flown three and one-half
hours into Sudan and were in
the center of the country in
the Nuba Mountains where
the persecution is the most
severe. Located there isa little
island of Christianity in the
sea of Islam. MI-24 Hind
helicopter gunships came
roaring over the landing strip
pouring rockets and machine
cannon fire into them. They
had to run. For eight days
they were on the run escaping
from Islamic troops who were
seeking to destroy them
because of their mission of
mercy there.
r have been in towns
running Muslim evangelism
workshops when their towns
have been bombed. We have
been attacked and arrested. I
have been imprisoned on a
number of occasions. I have
been dragged in chains
through the streets and
beaten for preaching the
gospel. I have been beaten
unconscious on occasion. We
were put in solitary
confinement cells in Marxist
Mozambique. We were
dragged through the streets in
communist Zambia and
imprisoned in the most
degrading, filthy conditions.,
interrogated, and tortured.
Sixteen of our missionaries
have been detained, arrested,
and imprisoned in the course
of our fifteen years of
missionary work. By Gods
grace, every one of them is
free. We got each one of them
out within the month because
of international prayer and
pressure.
There are also diseases. We
get a lot of sicknesses such as
typhOid, dysentery, malaria,
hepatitis, and blackwater
fever. Wild animals are also a
danger. I stepped on a
crocodile once as I thought it
was a log. Snakes are there.
The biggest danger, of course,
is from the Muslims and the
Marxists.
Q. How has the Lord
sustained you in the midst of
these dangers?
A. I do not doubt that the
Lord has sustained us. I have
walked through churches
filled with corpses. I have
waded knee deep in corpses.
In one church there was one
thousand two hundred
corpses. I remember my total
shock and horror at this.
There are no words or
pictures to convey the smell,
the foreboding silence. What
has really helped me is
praying imprecatory prayers -
praying the Psalms. War
Psalms of the Prince of Peace by
James Adams is an exposition
on the imprecatory prayers of
David. This has gripped me.
Often we are frustrated. We
see so much of man's
inhumanity to man. We see
so much of man's depravity
and injustice. Our hearts cry
out for justice. The Psalms
mirror the situation we see in
the persecuted church. Being
able to pour out our hearts,
especially with the Psalms,
has helped us.
Also, I think it is vital that
we do something to help
those persecuted. This is the
way we cope with the
knowledge of all these
atrocities that we have seen.
Q. What can u.s.
Christians do to help brothers
and sisters undergOing
persecution?
A. We must intercede,be
informed, and be involved.
Often Christians in the
persecuted church in
Mozambique, Angola, and the
Sudan ask, "Do the Christians
in the West pra.y for us?" "Are
we forgotten?" It is important
for them to know that they
are prayed for. They are not
forgotten. It is important that
we go there and encourage
them. As I have mentioned,
there are many practical
encouragements we can give.
We are trying to get an
ambulance into Sudan to help
the people in the middle of
the war front. So many lives
are lost due to delays and
distances needed to be
covered before one can get
any medical care. We have
OctoberlNovember, 1997 TIlE COUNSEL of Cbalcedon 25
two clinics to which we can
take the injured more rapidly
if we had an ambulance. ,
J
We can also put pressure
on the persecutors. We do '
this in twO ways. We do this
by praying the imprecatory ,
prayers. We ask God to.
intervene. Secondly, we
contact our representatives
and give them information
about the persecuted church
in the Sudan and encourage
them to obtain further
information from us. Then
hopefully Muslim persecutors
wilt receive pressure from the
State Department and the
u.s. government.
The United Nations is a
great threat to us over there.
They actually prevent us from
delivering Bibles. They have ,
canceled our flights and ,
banned Bibles. Thus our "
representatives should be
encouraged to. defundthe '
U.N. or to force the U.N. to.
change their policies in, the
face of being defunded. We
are happy to supply
information to anyone who
asks us for it.
Q. Could you explain the
types of physical persecutions
God's people are facing in the
areas where you are
ministering?
A There is Severe
persecution being suffered by
Christians in Muslim lands
throughout North Africa at '
this time. In SU,dan, I have
been stunned to find that the
largest country in Africa is
somehow being missed by the
mass media. The longest war
of this century is taking place
in Sudan, yet it is not being
covered by the national and
international news networks.
We have the oldest
community of Christians in
Africain Sudan. They are '
suffering the most severe
persecution in the world
today, yet we seldom read
about it in the Christian
media. Some attention has
recently begun to be given to
it, yet we are not giVing
enough atterition to what is
going on there.
Since 1955 the Muslim
Arab North has been seeking
to subjugate the Chrtstian
Black South. They have been
seeking to lslamize and
Arabize the Christians. They
do this by vartous means,
One means is the scorched
earth. The term in the Nuba
Mountains is "draining the
sea to catch the fish", To
destroy Chrtstianity in the
Nuba, they are destrOying the
Nuba . .
The Sudan government has
declared jihad or "holy war" '
against the Christians in the
Nuba Mountains. The Nuba
are ArabiC speaking
Christians. Because they are
ArabiC speaking, . the Muslims
consider them to be apostate.
They can date the beginning
26 'i' THE COUNSEL \If Chalcedl'n ,"" Octl'berlNlIVember, 1997
of the faith in their area back
to the third and fourth
centuries. Christianity existed
among the Nuba people even
before there was a
Mohammed.
Hundreds of Christian
Nuba men have been
crucified, literally nailed up
on crosses like the Lord Jesus
was nailed up. There have
been hundreds of churches
destroyed in the Nuba.
Throughout the south and
central Sudan, thousands of
churches have been
destroyed. Most of the wells
have been poisoned. Most of
the cattle and sheep have
been looted. Most of the
crops have been destroyed.
Everything necessary to
sustain life has been
destroyed.
Many of the children have
been kidnapped and taken to
concentration camps or
Koranic schools where they
are forCibly Islamized and
Arabiied. The children are
forced to speak the Arabic
language. If they do not speak
the Arabic language or learn
enough of the Koran, they
will be deprived of food and
denied sleep and forced to
stand holding bricks in each
hand with their arms
outstretched and other kinds
of torture planned by the
Muslims. Some have been
branded like cattle. Some
have had their tendons cut
behind their heels to stop
their running away. The
government literally goes into
marketplaces and rounds up
children. It kidnaps them
without the parents'
knowledge and takes them to
these camps or schools. There
is a systematic attempt to
destroy Christianity in the
Sudan.
They also practice terror
bombings, bombing the
towns. They are using
helicopter gunships to attack
churches. Churches in which
I have ministered have been
machine-gunned, rocketed,
and burned to the ground by
helicopter gunships inside the
Sudan. I have walked among
the ashes and embers there
has been the indiscriminate
laying of landmines amongst
the crops to prevent the
people from being able to
harvest the crops that are
necessary for their survival.
Cluster bombs have been
dropped on civilian centers.
They have used napalm.
Every manner of abuse and
atrocity is being permitted by
the Sudan government in
order to achieve their
purposes. The Christians are
standing firm, refuSing to
submit to this.
Q. Are they becoming
refugees and fleeing Sudan?
A. The people are staying
in the Sudan. Many are
internal refugees or displaced
people. Only a minority have
fled across the border into
international boundaries.
They see themselves as the
people of Cush. Zephaniah
3:10 and Isaiah 18 speak of
people beyond the River
Cush. Cush was the grandson
of Noah, the ancestor of the
people of Sudan. They see
themselves as the ones
prophesied of in, Isaiah 18.
Therein is testimony of a
people undergoing
tremendous suffering yet
tremendous turning to God in
sacrifice and then to the Lord.
Psalm 68:31 says the people
of Cush will submit
themselves to God. This is the
desire of many of the
Sudanese.
Q. How are the families
bearing up under the strains
of persecution?
A. It is horrific. I have
three beautiful children. I
could not imagine what it
must be to have your children
undergo these types of
tortures. I know of.many
parents who have done some
incredible things. One father
tracked down the slave
traders. He followed them up
north. He found the Koranic
school, the concentration
camp where his child ,was
kept. He disguised himself as
an Arab. He found his child.
He rescued the child and
escaped by night. That is one
of the extraordinary figures.
Many of the people are
suffering. The sovereignty of
God really grips the people.
They are completely and
utterly convinced that God is
in control. I have found the
people devoid of self-pity. In
fact, they rebuke me if I show
pity toward them. They say,
"God is in control. He will
turn this out for the good and
for His glory." They do not
show despair. Even in the
midst of terrible suffering I
have been amazed to see how
the people sing. They sing to
praise the Lord. The worship
services are long and deep.
The people really are turning
to the Lord in prayer. The
Psalms seem to be their
favorite book of Scripture.
Also, we have noticed
there is no such thing as a
Christian pacifist in Sudan.
The Christians have risen up
as one man. They are
organizing themselves into
resistance groups . They ate
resisting the Muslims
militarily. They are fighting
for the liberty of the South
because they realize things
have gone beyond all
reasonable limits. They have
liberated most of the South.
The resistance movement in
the South is composed of
many fathers who are heavily
supported by the mothers.
They are liberating vast areas
where the church can be safe
and free. They see no
alternative to this.
OctoberlNovember, 1997 DIE COUNSEL of Chalcedon '" 21
Q. The Lord is blessing the
Gospel as it goes forth?
A. Yes. Its the most
, extraordinary thing. Muslims
are coming to Christ in Sudan
in greater numbers than
anyWhere else. We have had
cases of individual Muslims
coming over - Muslim
soldiers saying, 'We want to
. become Christians. I know
of a case where one whole
battalion, three hundred
Arabic men, came across the
line. They said that they
wanted to become Christians
and to fight for the South.
You may ask, "How is it
possible that Muslims are
coming to Christ in the
middle of a war?" I think the
reason is that the Sudan
government is so extreme, so
harsh, that it is repelling
Muslims. They are turning , ,
from Islam. Secondly; the
church has been so tenacious,
so steadfast. This is attracting
many Muslims. Thirdly; in
Sudan there is a safe area into
which Muslims cart flee. They
can come and find religiOUS
freedom. In the areas which
the Christian resistance
movement now controls,
Sudanese converts to Christ
can find refuge and sanctuary:
They use the same
Christian flag I have seen in
many churches in America.
Hundreds of them are flying
across southern Sudan. They
put up crosses, wooden
crosses. This is completely
illegal as Sudan is a Muslim
country. They wear the cross
and carry it with pride. They
are proud to be associated
witl), the banner of Christ.
Q, From your experience
what are some telltale sign of
a SOciety that is headed .
toward the persecution of
Christians?
A. First of all, I saw this in
Rwanda and also in
Mozambique and Angola, the
persecuting forces use the
media to vilify Christians.
They blame the Christians for :
all manner of ridiculous .
crimes. They seek to use the
mass media in order to tum
the general population to
hostility against the
Christians. Secondly; we see
moves to disarmament. Every
case in which I have seen
persecution of the church,
there ~ been gun control.
The have made Christians
defenseless. Once Christians
are defenseless, the
persecutors mobilize the
population to crush them.
Wherever you see a
government certtralizing an
inordinate amount of power
in its hands you are seeing
another signpost that could
be pointing to forthcoming
Christian persecution.
Q. A strong d:ntralized
government is in competition
with the sovereign God for
total control?
1.8 ~ THE COUNSEL ofChalcedon OctoberlNovember, 1997
A Gods principles that we
see in the nation of Israel was
decentralization. For
example, there were twelve
tribes. There were checks and
balances such as the Council
and Sanhedrin.
Q, What has the
persecuted church learned
from its persecution?
A I have seen many
example as to how suffering
can purify us and actually
prepare us for God's special
service. All of Gods great men
know great suffering. God
purged and prepared them
for His service. Joseph
experienced twelve years in
prison and in slavery before
being raised up to become
governor in Egypt. Moses was
forty years in the desert
before becoming the deliverer
of Israel, David was an outlaw
and a fugitive for many years
before beCOming King of
Israel.
There are no shortcuts to
maturity and depth of the
faith. I have seen this in
AfIica as well. The church is
growing under persecutiort in
the Comm1.\nist lands and in
Sudan as well. The church is
growing in Sudan faster than
anywhere else.
Let me give you one telling
example. Ten years ago I was
dragged in chains into prison
in Zambia, Myself and three
other Frontline missionaries
were arrested by the then
socialist government of
Zambia. They dragged us into
prison. We were thrown into
cells covered with human
filth, our head were buried in
buckets of filth and urine. We
were beaten. We were
suffocated - hoods were put
over our faces. ~ could not
breathe properly. We were
dragged in chains, barefoot,
through the streets of the
capital city, Lusaka. While we
sang Christian hymns,
"Onward Christians Soldiers",
"A Mighty Fortress Is Our
God", and "Stand Up, Stand
Up For jesus" they smacked
us with rifle butts. That made
us sing louder.
We were put in a terrible
prison. The prison did not
have running water or proper
ventilation. There was only a
one-foot square hole in the
door for ventilation Sixty
prisoners were in a cell that
measured twenty-five feet by
fifteen feet. It was absolutely
stench-ridden and filthy.
Insects such as cockroaches,
flies, mosqUitoes, were
beyond imagination. In that
situation, who would have
thought that anything good
could have come out of it? In
our cell was a man who
became the vice-preSident of
Zambia. He came to faith
while he was imprisoned. He
was raised up by the Lord to
be the next vice-president of
Zambia. Several cell doors
away was Fredrick Chiluba
who became the next
president of Zambia.
In His providence, God
swept away the communist
government that immediately
made a confession of faith, a
covenant with Almighty God,
repented of the sins of the
past and transformed the
nation. In Zambia terrorists
used to be exported, now it is
Bibles and missionaries. The
Bible was banned. Now all
sessions of Parliament open
. with prayer and the reading
of the Word in the name of
our Lord and Savior, jesus
Christ. When President
Chiluba was asked, "Are you
going to print up a new
Constitution?", he responded
up by holding up the Bible
and saying, "I do not have to.
Here it is. It is already
written."
Now I have gone back to
those prisons many times. I
recently returned to Zambia
with Andrew Sandlin, Brian
Abshire, Monte Wilson and
Wayne johnson on the tenth
anniversary of my
imprisonment to run a
Biblical reformation and
Christian Culture Conference.
It was wonderful. We met the
vice-president. There were
members of the cabinet there
and other government
officials. One hundred sixty
top leaders were at this
conference. Where in the
world would you find people
in high government positions
coming to a conference to
learn the Biblical principles of
justice, economics, and
education in all areas of life?
They want to learn this. Now
I return to the prison in
which I was locked up and
other prisons too. In them I
preach the gospel freely. I
speak on radio and television.
I meet with government
officials and go to army bases,
as well as meet with
businessmen. We got
wonderful opportunities of
which we could never dream
before. We do not know the
end of the story.
Q. We have to realize that
God's plan is bigger than
ours.
A. I may not know the
future, but I know Him who
holds the future.
Q. In II Corinthians 1:4,
the inspired Paul writes that
one purpose of tribulation is
that those being persecuted
will know the comfort of God
being manifested in their
lives. Do you see examples of
this in Africa?
A. Most certainly. We live
in a hurting world. Because of
man's sin there is suffering in
this world. None of us are
innocent victims. We are all
guilty sinners and have to
some degree contributed to
the problems. But God in His
. grace reaches down and saves
unworthy sinners such as us.
Then He uses us in the
salvation of others. Because of
God's grace the cycle of
suffering can be broken.
OctoberlNovember, 1997 ~ THE (:OUNSEL of Chalcedon 29
So often the biggest change granted are not known there. spiritual war. We are in a very
that can happen is through Pray that the persecutors be serious war with Islam, with
our attitude. To some people, exposed and opposed, that witchcraft, with communism,
a little problem can destroy the sufferings of our and the New World Order.
them. To others, the greatest beleaguered brothers in The United Nations is no
problems do nothing more Sudan and otherlands be friend of the church. It has
than raise their faith higher. brought to the light, and that opposed the work of the
Being raised on the English. Christians would give it the Gospel in country after
side, we go for tea. To us tea attention it deserves until the country in Africa, even
has to be hot. You do not persecution ceases. though it surely has nothing
know the.flavor of a tea bag
Also pray for more
to do with its mandate.
until you put it in boiling
missionaries. We need more We need to be alert to the
water. When we as Christians
in our mission. The harvest is fact that there are people who
II
get into hot water, then we
large and the workers are few. hate the Bible so much that
know our flavor. When we
In a nation the size of Sudan, they are willing to kill
'I
put pressure on a sponge,
with fifty million people, Christians to prevent the
whatever that sponge is full
there are less than twenty- Bible from being distributed.
I
of, it will leak out. If we are
four missionaries per million There are people who hate
I
full of the Holy Spirit, or of.
of the population there. We the church and are wiling to
"I
the flesh, when we are under
also desperately need more attack it. My church in
pressure the results will be
Bibles. 'We need the Lord to Capetown, South Africa was
seen.
protect our people. At the actually attacked by terrorists.
II
AdverSity is not our enemy. moment, we have two Hand grenades were thrown.
,
I have seen some of the most missionaries in Sudan. Pray . Machine guns were fired into
wonderful, God-fearing for our protection. We are the congregation murdering
believers suffering some of fortunate to still be alive at people in the church. Wars
the most abominable this point. There have been require sacrifice. They require
atrocities. You would think attempts on our lives. Pray for rations and conscription. We
they would be bitter. I have our families who are left are in such a war for world
I
seen people who have behind while we are on evangelism. I would
I
suffered under persecutors mission trips. Many of us encourage each person to
! ,
welcoming with open arms have wives and children. Pray play their part.
those persecutors, saving that the church will become
Q. Thank you for this
them and bringing them to more missionary minded,
interview. How can our
Christ. producing the kind of
readers receive further
Q. Are there specific prayer
diSciplined, dedicated
information on your ministry?
requests we can pray for our
diSciples who can be effective
A. To receive our free
suffering brothers and sisters?
servants in such complicated
reports and to learn how to
harvests as Sudan.
A. Let us pray that peace purchase our books, tapes
Q. What can the American
with justice would come to and videos, call this toll free
Sudan - peace with liberty
church learn from the
number: 1-888-918-4100
and life for all. The types of
persecuted church in Africa?
and ask for the Frontline
freedom, such as freedom of A. The church must learn Fellowship package. n
movement, that we take for thatwe are in a war - a
30 THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon OctoberJNovember, 1997