More Christians have been martyred in the last 100 years than during the previous 19 centuries. In Third World countries, Islamic kingdoms, and Communist nations Christians have been killed by the millions. After World War I, for instance, over one million Armenian Christians were exterminated by the Turks. Today, in countries like Sudan, Muslim insurgents kill, enslave, and rape Christians almost at will. One of the most famous twentieth-century martyrs was Dietrich Bonhoeffer who fought for religious freedom in Nazi Germany. He was imprisoned and executed in 1945 as the war was coming to a close.
Impact: The early church leader Tertullian wrote during the Roman persecutions that “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” What was true then is true today as the worldly sacrifice of brave Christians serves to inspire others to take their place and continue preaching the Gospel message.