The Last Christians

Emotionally difficult subject matter; extremely important voice to be heard.
Recommended read.

In much of the IslamicMiddle East Christians have lived since the time of the Apostles. Now Islamic fundamentalism, war, coups, and civil strife have driven them from their homes. The unlucky ones, including women and children, are killed, tortured, raped, or sold as slaves. The lucky ones are able to escape to other towns or refuge camps where their lives are very precarious. The luckiest of all are able to escape to Europe and other Western countries.

This horror is largely ignored by Western media, even as these atrocities continue. Knapp, a German religious who works closely with these refugees in Germany, has written a moving account of these people and their plight. It is largely based on the things he has seen for himself, his conversations with many both in Germany and Kurdistan, and the accounts of the tribulations these people have endured.

Those accounts in themselves are more than enough to make this book worth reading, but what elevates it to an amazing book is his great scholarship and understanding of this history and culture of this area and his deep understanding of the history and theology of Islam.

The book concentrates on the fates of the Syriac Christians from iraq. Their church was founded by the apostles, their liturgy, in Aramaic, traces itself to those times. Until the war against Saddam Hussein, they lived peaceably with their Moslem neighbors in and around Mosul. Now many have been killed or tortured, the homes and villages pillaged and destroyed. They have fled to Kurdistan and to Syria. Those who went to Syria have suffered in the civil war taking place there. To escape often they have to pay everything they have to be smuggled into Europe, walk across much of Europe, wait and then seek asylum.

Knapp's compassion and love for these people comes through on every page. Even more his last few chapters give us practical ways we can help beyond our prayers and are a plea for understanding between people.

This book is one we all must read.

In The Last Christians: Stories of Persecution, Flight and Resilience in the Middle East, Andreas Knapp delves into the lives of those Christians whose home is control by the radical Islamic State and the struggles that they must endue to be true to their faith.
Every American Christian should read this book. We cry persecution and throw a fit about the color of a Christmas cup while there are people still being excommunicated from their homes and even killed! This is what Christian persecution really looks like.
Knapp intermingles stories of people he knows and has seen struggle with tid bits of history that shows how life in the Middle East has changed for everyone living there. The personal stories really hit home as you feel the pain of families separated by either distance or death when they will not recant. Some families loose everything but their lives while others have to watch their children executed because they believe in Jesus Christ. Photos of the refuge camps truly drive home what these people are going through.
The only down side is that Knapp almost manages to be objective but falls just short of this. He does well clearly stating Islam and it's reformations, but fails to draw any truthful parallels to their religion and Christianity in regards to violence and intolerance. Sadly, these things have happened on both sides.
On a side note, I read this in conjunction with Daring to Drive, about a women's life in Saudi Arabia. The two books truly opened my eyes how radical Islam abuses both Christians and those of the Islamic faith.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is an eye opening account of what the persecuted Christians go through in Iraq and Syria. Knapp brought out things I had no idea about. His account is raw, heart breaking and absolute must read. We need this better understanding of what is happening.