Discussion Starter: Apostasy Laws

Our students likely understand that there is persecution for believing in Jesus going on in the world, but specific examples help to drive home the fact that following Jesus can be costly—even if we don’t always see that firsthand in the West.

Have you had a chance to talk with your students about the recent case of the brave Sudanese woman sentenced to death for converting to Christianity? She was guilty of breaking her country’s apostasy laws. The U.S. government and human rights groups were pressuring Sudan to reverse their decision, but the case was still unresolved as of this writing.

The Washington Post has a helpful article explaining apostasy and blasphemy laws, along with a 2012 map showing all the nations with laws like that still in effect.

Here’s a few questions to kick of a conversation about these issues:

• How should we pray for Christians and missionaries in these countries?
• Why would someone go public about their faith in Jesus if they knew they could be arrested, whipped or sentenced to death?
• Would you ever consider becoming a missionary to a nation like that?