Steven Garofalo
Spirituality/Belief • Education • News
CHRISTIANS PERSECUTED IN TURKEY AND THE GOOD NEWS!
By Steven Garofalo, May 31, 2024 (Copyright 2024)
May 27, 2024

In an article titled, “Christians banned and facing persecution in Turkey” by ADF, “The Alliance Defending Freedom”, the largest International Legal Firm in the world, we are learning just how persecuted Christians in Turkey have become.

Today, I am gong to read from this well written article-facts on the ground, some testimonial stories, and how you can help turn things around in Turkey. let’s get started! 
DF writes that: Multiple Christians previously residing in Turkey, including Pam and Dave Wilson, Rachel and Mario Zalma, David Byle and others, have appealed their cases regarding their being forced to minister to Christians in Turkey and share their Christian faith with others to the European Court of Human Rights. 

>>> To give you an idea as to the impact ADF is having for Christians in Turkey and the world, ADF International is also supporting over 20 additional cases in domestic courts in Turkey among other nations.

>>> THE

STUNNING STATISTICS
Advocacy Team: Lidia Rieder Reports that: The number of Christians in Turkey has diminished from 20 percent to 0.2 percent of the population in the last 100 years. An estimated 99% of the 83 million strong population identify as Muslim. Although Turkey does not have a constitutionally recognized state religion, its government is increasingly marked by Islamization and nationalism, which creates challenges for religious minorities, particularly Christians. 

In recent years, the government has been specifically targeting foreign Christian workers despite their lawful and often decades-long residence in Turkey. Between 2020 and 2023, the Turkish government placed entry bans on or expelled at least 160 foreign workers and their families. New entry bans are being issued all the time.  

Turkish authorities are branding Christians with so-called “N-82” or “G-87” security codes, which are used to label a person as a “threat to public order and security”. These effectively function as entry bans into the country. The government is wielding these codes to prevent missionary activity in the country. Through the government’s strategic use of these codes, the files with alleged “evidence” against these Christian workers become classified, thus rendering any appeals processes non-transparent and effectively paralyzing domestic legal recourse.  

The 2022 Human Rights Violations Reportpresented by the Protestant Church Association records 185 people who have been arbitrarily branded with the N-82-code, preventing them from entering Turkey solely on the basis of their Christian faith. ADF International is supporting over 30 such cases before The European Court of Human Rights.  

 “It is concerning that we are witnessing increasing displays of hostility, particularly towards foreign Christians, in Turkey. These deliberate attempts to stifle the spreading of Christianity violate religious freedom."  
- Lidia Rieder, Legal Officer for ADF International   

Christian Persecution in Turkey
The persecution of Christians is increasing across the world, and Turkey is no exception. Christians are the most persecuted religious group internationally, and yet this issue receives limited attention from the international community. In Turkey, the government is systematically targeting Christians and their families by banning their reentry into the country, despite their long-term legal residence. Turkey also has systemically shut down Christian seminaries, forcing the Christian community in Turkey to rely heavily on foreign pastors. The entry bans on foreign Christian workers are therefore designed to put a stranglehold on the spread of Christianity in Turkey.  
“It is shocking that a country as advanced as Turkey is now treating foreign Christians who have committed no crimes as terrorists—simply for sharing their faith. 

We urge the Turkish government to cease these discriminatory practices, which show blatant contempt for religious freedom and amount to flagrant violations of the rights and norms outlined in international agreements, including the European Convention on Human Rights to which Turkey is a party and founding member of the drafting Council,” said Kelsey Zorzi, Director of Global Religious Freedom for ADF International. 

CASE STUDY #1: Dave and Pam Wilson
US-missionary couple Pam and David Wilson were banned from Turkey after living there lawfully for nearly four decades. 

Dave arrived in Istanbul in 1980 and took on the leadership of the Bible Correspondence Course (BCC), a ministry begun by Operation Mobilization. His ministry carried out door-to-door evangelism by passing out Gospel tracts and invitations to Bible studies. Pam moved to Ankara in 1984 with a church planting team after having felt a call from God to go to Turkey a year prior. 

Dave and Pam met in 1986 and married in 1988. After getting married, they continued to minster to those in Turkey. Throughout the years, they faced several attempts at deportation by authorities targeting them for their missionary activity. With the help of legal intervention, they were able to remain in the country legally by obtaining the necessary visas and residence permits.  
In early February 2019, however, Dave and Pam left Turkey to spend the Christmas holidays with family in the US. When they returned to Turkey, they were told at the Istanbul airport that they had both deportation orders and entry bans imposed on them.  

Two weeks later, one of their team members received the same entry ban. It became clear that Dave and Pam’s ban was more than an isolated incident. Soon thereafter, Dave, Pam, and two of their team members learned that an additional code, called G-87—a designation generally only assigned to terrorists—had been issued for all of them.  
On 13 July 2021, ADF International filed an ECtHR application against Turkey on behalf of the Wilsons. Their case is pending before Europe’s highest court.  
Rachel and Mario Zalma* 

CASE STUDY #2: In 2009, British couple Rachel and Mario Zalma* (*pseudonyms) moved to Istanbul to support a new Christian church community. They invested significant time in learning the language, history, and customs of the local people. Desiring to bless their neighbourhood, their church offered free English classes and a parent-child playgroup. Donations from their annual Christmas fair went to local charities.   

In 2018, the Zalmas heard word of other Christians barred from entering Turkey after returning from trips to their home countries. Turkish authorities had begun branding Christians with the N-82 security code, a security designation intended to label a person as a “threat to public order and security”.  

Then in 2019, sometime after the Zalmas attended the Family Conference of the Association of Turkish Protestant Churches, these stories became a reality for them too. Before leaving for a trip to the UK, Mario was stopped by the police and informed that he also had been labeled with the N-82 code. “It was terrible not knowing what would happen to him. I heard the officers whispering that we were probably terrorists. I was devastated to experience such mistrust, even though we only wanted to do good for the people there,” Rachel remembers. The police let Mario stay in Turkey to challenge the order in court.  

But in June 2020, Rachel also received the code. Before the police had a chance to deport them, the Zalmas decided to return to England themselves and take legal action to challenge the code designation. As a result of documents produced during the Zalmas’ court proceedings, it has come to light that the Zalma’s case is not isolated. Other Christians in attendance at the 2019 Family Conference of the Association of Turkish Protestant Churches have been met with the same fate.  

With the support of ADF International, Rachel and Mario have now brought their case before the European Court of Human Rights.  
David Byle 

CASE STUDY #3: David Byle, a Christian minister living in Turkey, was forced to leave the country he had called home for 19 years simply because he shared his faith. He and his wife had raised their five children in Turkey and had become close-knit members of the community. 

David faced an unjust deportation decision in 2016 and challenged the legality of the move in court. Though he had been granted an injunction that allowed him to stay until the decision in the case was delivered, David was unexpectedly taken into custody and interrogated by the police. He thereafter left the country and learned that the authorities imposed an N-82 code on him, effectively banning him from ever reentering the country. 

The Byles now reside in Germany. In a letter dated 5 May 2022, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) declined to hear David’s case. An ADF International allied lawyer is now seeking to initiate a new case in Turkey to challenge his entry ban as his visa application was rejected again in 2022 and five years have passed since the imposition of the code.  

ALARMINGLY, THERE ARE A Growing Number of Cases: Unfortunately, there is a growing number of similar cases. ADF International has partnered with Turkish lawyers to support over 20 cases currently making their way through the domestic courts. The clients in these cases have lived in Turkey for significant periods of time, often a decade or longer, prior to being banned from the country. Most of them have deep family ties to Turkey as their spouses and children were born and raised in the country. 

Although the codes given to these religious workers are reserved for individuals who pose national security threats, these clients have no criminal records, and the government has produced no evidence against them. They are solely targeted by Turkish authorities for following God’s call on their lives to minister to the people of Turkey. 

WHAT CAN YOU DO? You can make a huge difference by first praying for Turkish Church and Christians in Turkey. Pray for the leaders in Turkey, that their hearts would be softened and changed and show favor towards Christians in Turkey. Pray for the safety and freedom of missionaries, pastors, and Christians in Turkey. LASTLY, you can support the efforts for Religious Freedom by ADF by making a donation to them at ADFInternational.Org. 

LASTLY, please allow me to encourage you with the Truth. God is on the throne and He is all powerful, loving, just God and He is “THE TRUTH”. As such, He should not, cannot and will not be stopped regarding His Word being preached throughout Turkey. It’s a fact that the church is already starting to grow back rapidly through secret house churches. And that is a great thing. Let’s keep up the valiant work of the evangelist, disciples, teacher, preacher and servant in Turkey until the Gospel flows more freely in light of the true God of the universe. In the interim, please be in prayer for the Turkish Christians and Church and help support www.ReasonForTruth.org/Donate in our International efforts to EQUIP and Encourage the Church in America, Europ, Central/South America and abroad.

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When I was in seminary, the question was raised as to if pets or animals in general go to heaven. Our professor, Dr. Norman Geisler said this: “Jesus Christ came to earth and died on the Cross for the human race, not animals.” I was working out at the gym one day when one of the regulars, who had just moved to Charlotte, NC from California told me that one of her beloved dogs died; and would that dog go to heaven. I have her the same answer. But, was that the whole story? That’s what we are going to look at today.

In a peace by Michael Housman, Founder of GotQuestions.Org, Housman wrote that “The BIble does not give any explicit teaching on whether pets or animals in general have souls, or spirits, or whether pets and other animals will be in heaven.

His answer was short but the animals not having souls maybe up for debate.

We can use general biblical principles to develop some clarity on the subject though Housman wrote. The Bible states that both man (Genesis 2:7) and animals (Genesis 1:30; 6:17; 7:15 and 22) have the “BREATH OF LIFE” that is, both man and animals are living beings. Furthermore, the primary difference between human beings and animals is that humanity is made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27), while animals are not.

Being made in the image and likeness of God means that human beings are like God in some ways; they are capable of spirituality; they have a mind, emotion, and “will”; and part of their “being” continues after death.

If pets and other animals do have a “soul” (or spirit or immaterial aspect), it must therefore be of a different and lesser “quality”. This difference possibly means that pets and other animal “souls”  do not continue in existence after death.

Another factor to consider regarding whether pets will be in heaven is that animals are a port of God’s creative process in Genesis. God created the animals and said they were good (Genesis 1:25). Therefore, there is no reason why there could not be pets and animals on the NEW EARTH as described in (Revelation 21:1). 

In the end, there will most definitely be animals during the millennial kingdom (Isaiah 11:6; 65:25). It is impossible to say definitely whether some animals of these animals might be the pets we had here on earth. We do know that God is just and that when we get to heaven, we will find ourselves in complete agreement with His decision on this issue, whatever that turns out to be.

So, there you have it. I think that’s the best answer on the subject in all honest. Please remember to SUBSCRIBE to our channel and check out StevenGarofalo.Com for exclusive content and early release of our two weekly podcast.

Until next time, I’m your host Steven Garofalo, and this is your reason for truth for today.

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AN ETHICAL ECONOMY IS GOOD FOR ALL
By Steven Garofalo, May 2, 2025

WHAT MAKES A GOOD ECONOMY

Government corruption comes to the advantage of a few-but at the expense of many if not all the rest of society. Today, I am going to show you through Ecclesiastes 5:8-9 that vanity and wealth, if not kept accountable, will devour one’s honor and the honor or the nation in whole. Let’s get started.

The Vanity of Wealth and Honor is an interesting subject in light of wealth, corruption, and the human heart. This subject effects many things, including what makes a good economy. 

In the Book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 5, verses eight to nine, Solomon says the following:

Ecclesiastes 5:8-9
“8 If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. 9 But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.”

COMMENTARY: There are two things king Solomon is saying here within the theme of the vanity of WEALTH and HONOR. Wealth and honor are two different things, as one can have wealth with or without honor or honor with or without wealth. That being said, let’s look at verses 8 and 9 independently to see the simple message God provides us today through Solomon.

BREAK DOWN
Ecclesiastes 5:8-9

THE ABUSE OF AUTHORITY & WEALTH
 “8 If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them." 

COMMENTARY: Verse 8 clearly illustrates that there is a corruption at every level of government, with higher level oppressors plundering the equally oppressive lower-level magistrates. This perhaps explains the st state of America and the world. With blackmail running. Rampant and the public sector unchecked, they have been robbing the everyday citizen of their hard earned money. As a result, the system became insulated and division between the haves and have nots became more defined. When the high level government officials rob and abuse those below them, someone above that person robs and abuses the higher level person himself.

In America, where we print money out of thin air for the world, in this short period of history, there is little need to plunder those under one authority because there is so much to steal that those in authority can simply pay them off or blackmail them; whichever is most convenient. Either way, Solomon makes abundantly clear that when there is nobody minding the ship, evil perpetuates to the point of overtaking the government in whole. As a result, we end up with a 2024 government, riddles with corruption, immorality, blackmail, lawlessness, and all other things evil due to the lack of God-ness which equates to “goodness”. 

Economically speaking, when this happens to a country, its own economy begins to decline into debt due to their insatiable desire and emotional need for more money and resources. When resources are stripped and money is squandered, the elite few are smart enough to collect those resources and money and we end up with a U.S. Stock Market where only 5% holds up to 80%  of the entire market wealth. 

WHAT IS THE ANSWER?
The answer and solution is to keep to return to the system we created in the first place which is free market capitalism that allows those who desire to work hard, to have a fair chance at success, making money and turning a fair profit. This is called “honor for everyone”.

HONOR FOR EVERYONE
"9 But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.”

CONCLUSION:

Government corruption comes to the advantage of a few-but at the expense of many if not all the rest of society. Vanity and wealth, if not kept accountable, devours one’s honor and the honor or the nation in whole. Solomon (Qohelet) considered goverment to be frustrating becuase it was a necessary evil, something deply flawed but indespsnsible. On the one hand people sould "not be shocked" when they see OPPRESSION and injustice in a governmental province (v.8). After all, bloated government bureaucracy tends to frustrate justice (v.8b). On the other hand, government has it advantages (v.9). Many hold to the belief that this verse continues the negeative assessment of government. Others see this passage better understood more positively since it fits with Qohelet's normal pattern of "on the one hand, on the other.." way of teaching. 

Even a corrupt government is better than anarchy, which devastates a country, it's culture and in Solomon's time, an agrarian economy that would lead to starvation. Keeping to God's ways is the only solution to man's sinful nature; especially in governmental rule. In the end, a king who devotes himself to developing the resources of the land ushers in a systems that brings the opportunity for profit to all, not just the corrupt few.

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SOLA SCRIPTURA
A Protestant & Catholic View Comparison

I grew up Catholic and now go to a Protestant or non-Catholic church in Charlotte, NC. Michael Houdmann, Founder and CEO of GotQuestions.Org writes that a major difference between the two boils down to believing in the Bible alone as God's word verses believing that God's word plus man's input as the divine inspired word of God.

WHAT DO PROTESTANTS BELIEVE?

A major difference is the issue of sufficiency and authority of Scripture. While Protestants believe that the Bible alone is the source of God's special revelation to mankind, it also speaks to everything we need to understand as necessary for our salvation from sin.

Protestants view the Bible as the STANDARD for Christian morality and ethics which governs our behavior. This is called sola scripture and is one of the five Solas in Christianity. (Solas meaning "alone" in Latin. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 makes clear that "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (ESV).

WHAT DO CATHOLICS BELIEVE?

Catholics do not believe in sola scriptura hence do not believe that the Bible alone is sufficient. They see both the Bible and sacred Roman Catholic tradition as equally authoritative and binding on the Christian. While not all Catholics hold to doctrines such as purgatory, praying to the saints, worship or veneration of Mary, etc., the Catholic doctrine hold to them even though they have little or no mention or basis in the Bible. In truth, these doctrines are based on Roman Catholic traditions based on the Catholic Church's insistence that the Bible and tradition are equal in authority. The problem with this is that it undermines the sufficiency, authority, and completeness of the Bible. The view of Scripture is at the root of many, if not all, of the differences between Catholics and Protestants.

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