In Columbia, two Christian pastors have been murdered the past two weeks. On Dec. 29, Lora Rincón, his wife, and their two kids were massacred, and Pastor Iván Darío García González was assassinated on January 8th.
Todd Nettleton of The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) says drug cartels were likely responsible for all the deaths.
"There is a lot of violence from FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) guerrillas and paramilitary units who want freedom to keep growing coca and keep making money in the drug trade, and Christians are often among the targets," he tells AFN.
The Columbian cartels, he says, are ruthless and persistent.
"Many of these groups, part of their income comes from protection rackets," Nettleton relays. Pastors of tithing churches are easy targets.
While the Columbian government is not involved in the killings, the VOM spokesman says they are also not much help.
"The government posture has very much been let's make peace; let's get along with the guerrillas rather than let's fight the guerrillas," he relays.
While most people probably think Christian persecution only happens in Muslim or communist dictatorships, Nettleton says Central and South America are becoming more dangerous by the day because of the drug cartels.
"There are places in southern Mexico where Christians are persecuted by communist leaning groups," he reports. "Also, Venezuela is a country that has seen increasing persecution."
International Christian Concern has similarly reported that as drug cartels continue to challenge the authority of the Mexican government, Christians locals who oppose the illegal activities are viewed as a threat and become targets of the organizations.
As the cartels gain strength and legitimate authorities lose ground, Christians continue to be vulnerable.
In addition to praying for these Latin American countries, VOM distributes Bibles in both Spanish and indigenous languages, provides support for those driven from their homes and communities, and responds to persecution incidents.
