About this episode

Todd Nettleton discusses the story of Perpetua and its relevance to modern Christian persecution.

Todd Nettleton has spent more than two decades working with Voice of the Martyrs, and he has sat with enough persecuted Christians around the world to know that what happened in a Roman coliseum in 203 AD is still happening today — just in different arenas. On this year's Day of the Christian Martyr, June 29, Voice of the Martyrs is spotlighting Perpetua, a 22-year-old woman from a noble family in ancient Carthage who kept a journal in prison while her father begged her to deny Christ and come home to her nursing baby. She was killed for refusing. Her journal survived nearly 1,800 years. Christian persecution, the courage of the church under fire, and what happens when the government decides it is in charge of your faith: Todd walks through what is happening in China, where unregistered churches are illegal, pastors are forbidden to preach about the Second Coming, and children under 18 are barred from attending services. He also shares what is happening in Northern Nigeria, where Christian homes are specifically targeted while Muslim homes next door are left untouched, and the story of Pauline Ayyad, a widow in the Middle East whose social media post forgiving the men who…

People in this episode

Guest: Todd Nettleton

Topics covered

• Christian persecution
• historical martyrdom
• faith under fire
• women in history
• modern-day implications
• courage in adversity

Keywords

• Perpetua
• Christian martyr
• Voice of the Martyrs
• Carthage
• Todd Nettleton
• Christian persecution
• journal
• faith
• China
• Northern Nigeria

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Voice of the Martyrs

Places: Carthage, China, Northern Nigeria

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