The Church in Iran
A Brief History of Iran
Located in the Middle East, Iran boasts one of the world's oldest civilizations, with evidence of human habitation dating back over 10,000 years. The Persian Empire, one of the ancient world's most powerful empires, rose in the 6th century BC under Cyrus the Great.
Over the centuries, Iran experienced various conquerors and rulers, including Alexander the Great, the Arab Caliphates, the Mongols, and the Safavids. From 1941 to 1979, Iran was ruled by King Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah. He pushed the country to adopt Western-oriented secular modernization, allowing a degree of cultural freedom. Click below to see images of what life in Iran was like before 1979.
On February 11, 1979, the Islamic Revolution swept the country and Iran's monarchy was overthrown leading to the establishment of an Islamic Republic.
Iran has faced international tensions due to its nuclear program, human rights issues, and has been involvement in regional conflicts. Despite these challenges, Iran is still a culturally rich and historically significant nation, with a population that continues to shape its path in the modern world.
Radical which is the ministry of David Platt, have a YouTube documentary series that dives into hard to reach places for the gospel around the world. They released a 4 part documentary on Iran and Christianity in the Islamic Republic.
How believers in Jesus live in Iran is something we would find hard to understand here in Australia. The proper title for the country of Iran is the “Islamic Republic of Iran”. A republic is a form of government where the country is considered a "public matter," rooted in the Latin term res publica.
In a republic, the head of state is usually an elected or appointed official, rather than a monarch. The governing bodies are made up of representatives of the people, who are responsible for making decisions on behalf of the citizens. This system is designed to serve the “public” interest and operates under a constitution that outlines the rights and responsibilities of both the government and the people. However for Iran, the “Islamic” before the word “republic” means that this is mostly in theory and not in practice because the Ayatollah (a high-ranking title given to Shia Muslim clerics in Iran) is the person who is ultimately in charge, appoints who is in government and the law of the land is Islamic Sharia.
The Islamic government boasts of a 99% Muslim population in Iran, but not all is what it seems. NewLife recently republished a report of thousands of Mosques that are closing down throughout Iran and a widespread move of God taking place in the underground church. Watch and be encouraged that even in very hard to reach places around the world, such as Iran. Despite the difficulty believers are facing in Iran, God is still saving and freeing people.