Colombia: May the Breath of the LORD Revive These Bones
June 22nd

Persecution intensifies due to drugs, trafficking, violence, murder, and conflict

Colombia has a population of 50.6 million, with Christians making up 95% of the total, the majority being Catholics at 84%. Evangelicals account for about 5 million people, or 10% of the population.
The Colombian civil war, which began in 1964 over land ownership disputes, saw rebels, illegal armed groups, and government forces entangled in a conflict that led to 260,000 deaths and displaced or left missing 6 million people by 2016. That year, through UN mediation, a peace agreement was reached with the largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), putting an end to the war and completing the disarmament process. However, violent crime continues due to territorial disputes among criminal groups, including FARC remnants, the National Liberation Army (ELN), and drug cartels.

Christians continue to face persecution from drug cartels and indigenous groups. Armed factions are fiercely competing to control illegal crops like cannabis, drug trafficking routes, and illegal mining areas, leading to increased violence and killings. Church leaders, who condemn corruption, advocate for human rights, and oppose cartels, have become primary targets of threats, extortion, and even murder. Their families, including children, are also targeted, preventing them from standing against crime and corruption. This persecution is particularly severe in rural and remote areas, where many Christians live under constant threat, and thousands have been displaced.
In local communities, persecution is particularly severe for those who convert from indigenous tribal religions to Protestant Christianity. Converts often face imprisonment, harassment, physical abuse, and deprivation of basic rights, including being stripped of their ancestral lands, forcing them to flee to other regions. These punishments are publicized to deter others from converting to Christianity.

Another major form of persecution comes from secularization. Christians who do not conform to societal acceptance of abortion, sexual immorality, homosexuality, and various sexual orientations face hostility, verbal abuse, and discrimination. As a result, many Christians hesitate to engage in politics or speak out on moral issues.
Colombia ranked 49th on the Global Persecution Index in 2018, but by 2022, it had climbed to 30th place, indicating a rise in religious oppression. In 2021, protests erupted against corruption and controversial government policies. Among the demonstrators were church leaders who supported the protestors and, as a result, faced threats and violence. Between January and September 2021, at least seven Christians were murdered for their faith, and the brutality continued.

A Latin American Leader in Euthanasia, Same-Sex Marriage, and Assisted Suicide
In 2016, Colombia’s Constitutional Court ruled that banning same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, making it the fourth country in South America to legalize it. Prior to this, in 2007, a court ruling had already recognized de facto marital rights for same-sex couples. According to 2022 government statistics, 1.8% of Colombia’s 36 million adults identify as homosexual or transgender.
In 2021, Colombian YouTuber Kika Nieto faced a lawsuit for expressing her biblical beliefs about marriage on her channel. In her video, she stated, “I believe that God created us for men to be with women and women to be with men. I do not believe it is right for a man to be with a man or a woman with a woman. However, I have gay and lesbian friends, and I love them sincerely.” A homosexual viewer claimed the video was offensive and discriminatory, leading to legal action. Initially, a lower court ruled that her statement constituted “hate speech,” but the Constitutional Court later overturned this ruling and dismissed the charges against her.

In 2022, Colombia became the first country in Latin America to legalize assisted suicide. The Constitutional Court ruled that “it is unconstitutional to punish patients suffering from an incurable disease who request assisted suicide of their own free will.” Under Colombian law, assisting or encouraging someone to take an extreme measure to end their suffering could result in 16 to 36 months in prison. Assisted suicide refers to a patient self-administering a lethal dose of prescribed medication, which differs from euthanasia, where a medical professional directly administers the procedure. Colombia had already legalized euthanasia in 1997 for patients with terminal illnesses or severe injuries causing unbearable physical and mental suffering. With this new ruling, patients eligible for euthanasia can now choose assisted suicide instead. Among Latin American nations, Colombia is the only country that has permitted euthanasia and assisted suicide, despite the region’s strong Catholic influence.
In 2022, Colombia decided to legalize abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, sparking protests from pro-life groups. The Constitutional Court ruled that “women can have an abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy without needing to provide a justification.” The court urged the government and parliament to quickly implement relevant policies. In response, pro-abortion groups waving green flags gathered in front of the Constitutional Court, while pro-life advocates, dressed in blue, staged counter-protests. In Latin America, countries like Argentina, Uruguay, and Cuba permit abortion without restrictions up to a certain point in pregnancy, whereas Central American nations like El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras completely ban abortion with no exceptions.

》Prayer Points

1. Colombia’s prolonged civil war has resulted in the deaths of 260,000 people and the displacement of 6 million. Let us pray that the nation’s political and religious leaders will first come to fear the LORD, repent, and become instruments of life, leading the people to salvation.

3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.(Revelation 3:3,NIV)

2. In Colombian Christianity, customs and superstitions blending Catholicism with traditional tribal religions have become ingrained in daily life, making it difficult to see the power of salvation or the holiness of the Bible. Let us pray that evangelical Protestants will be filled with faith in the gospel of the cross and the fullness of the Holy Spirit, so they may persist in prayer and boldly proclaim the gospel.

9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’”

10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.(Ezekiel 37:9-10,NIV)

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