Hundreds of Christians gathered during the second March For The Martyrs held in Washington over the weekend to speak up for those who are persecuted.
The Christian Post reported that around 500 to 1,000 freedom advocates from across the country gathered at the National Mall for the kick-off rally to "rise up as one voice for the persecuted church."
Early this month, Christianity Daily reported that the rally against persecution of Christians was staged in Washington, D.C. by event organizer For The Martyrs through March For The Martyrs. The event gathers renowned personalities from various Christian denominations to stand in "solidarity with persecuted Christians around the world."
March For The Martyr's kick-off rally engaged advocates to worship together and listen to speeches prior to marching to the White House for collective prayer. The free event, livestreamed via Facebook, included speakers such as Open Doors USA President Dr. David Curry and ChinaAid Founder Bob Fu. The assembly then proceeded at the JW Marriott Hotel for the "Night for the Martyrs."
For The Martyrs Founder Gia Chacón told The Christian Post in an interview the importance of having a "unified voice" for Christians in the fight against persecution.
"I think now more than ever, it's important that Christians across all denominations gather together as one unified voice. It's so important that we're standing up now, as brothers and sisters in Christ in the United States, being a voice for our persecuted brothers and sisters," Chacón said.
"This is the first time March for the Martyrs will be in the nation's capital and we think," she added, "especially with what's going on in Afghanistan and as we continue to see Christian persecution increase, it's so important to send a strong message not just to the Body of Christ, but also to this administration that we would like to see Christians protected, and I'm excited to see everyone rise up as one voice for the persecuted church."
During the interview, Chacón appreciated President Joe Biden's recognition of the Armenian genocide but raised hopes that "more action" be "taken for Christian minorities in other countries to protect them from religious persecution." Chacón also explained that the March For The Rally was conceptualized due to the restrictions in worship imposed in line with the pandemic.
Chacón revealed that the restrictions were a first for Christians in the United States to experience in 2020 and this gave an opportunity for them to "empathize" with the rest of those persecuted in the world.
During the March For The Rally, Chacón reiterated the purpose of the event and provided statistics on Christian persecution based from Open Doors USA that showed an increase by 60% of those killed for their faith.
"We're marching for the people who lay down their lives every single day to go to church, to own a Bible. To even say that they believe in Jesus, in some countries, is illegal," Chacón remarked during her speech.
According to March For The Martyrs, there are 340 million Christians across the world who suffer persecution.
