The Martyr's Oath - by Johnnie Moore (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Be Inspired by Amazing Eyewitness Stories of Hope and Courage from the Persecuted Church
We are witnessing an astonishing escalation in Christian persecution like we have rarely seen since the first century. Some estimate that every five minutes, a Christian is martyred for his or her faith. Countries like Egypt have experienced more Christian persecution in the last five years than in the previous six hundred years combined. And who could have missed the atrocities of ISIS in Syria, Boko Haram in Nigeria, and the continued persecution of Christians in North Korea?

Johnnie Moore, like many American Christians, didn't fully appreciate the extent of what was going on--until he witnessed the graduation of theology students in India. Unlike graduation ceremonies in America--where feel-good speeches made by visiting celebrities are common--this one featured a remarkable oath. It wasn't an oath to excel or succeed. It was an oath to be willing to die, if necessary, for the cause of Christ. This was no empty promise. This was a choice, choosing the eternal over the temporal.

Johnnie knew he was witnessing a raw, first-century Christianity that his comfortable American version had shielded him from. "For the first time, I really understand my faith," says Johnnie Moore. Now, he's on a mission to give this same experience to others. He and his team have crisscrossed the world, recorders in hand, gathering eyewitness accounts from dozens of people who survived persecution--and the stories of some who didn't.

Join Johnnie Moore on this compelling journey to the heart of the Christian faith.

From the Back Cover

From the flap (HC edition):
I'll never forget witnessing two thousand followers of Jesus take a martyr's oath.
I was in India attending the graduation at a Bible school. The founder of the school knew firsthand the sting of persecution. He had survived at least fifteen assassination attempts and walked with a limp because he had been beaten so many times.
He made it clear that each of his students would be qualified for graduation only once they confessed their willingness to serve Jesus even if it meant their death. They were to repeat after him, word for word, a martyr's oath.
The first time I saw this, it shook my faith in a way I had never felt before. The temperatures soared over one hundred degrees without even a whiff of breeze, as two thousand students pressed together with their family and friends. Unlike the American culture I was accustomed to, no one complained about the heat while singing "I Sur-render All."
Word by word, the resolute roar of the students' voices rose from that dusty tent as they pledged their lives to Jesus. I remember thinking that I was standing in the book of Acts, witnessing a raw, first-century Chris-tianity that I'd been shielded from in the United States. I felt deprived yet suddenly spiritually alive.
I asked myself: Why are so few of us in America willing to live for Jesus when others are so willing to die for him? Seeing Jesus through the eyes of the persecuted church transformed me.
I've written this book because I believe seeing your faith through their eyes will change you, too.

--Johnnie Moore