May 16 in Christian History

In the early 80s, Gafaar Nimeiry turned the disunified Sudan into a dictatorship.

He stifled free speech and imprisoned thousands of his political enemies in an attempt to gain authoritarian control of the country. Most appalling of all for the small Christian population, he introduced Islamic Shariah law—outlawing all other religions.

On May 16, 1983, a courageous group of Catholic and Anglican chiefs from the south met secretly to discuss these disheartening developments. Together, they resolved that they “would not abandon God as [they] knew him.” They took a courageous stand against the government that they knew could result in death for themselves and their followers.

Although Christians only made up 5 percent of the population, many non-Musilms rallied around this courageous group and formed a stiff resistance to the government. This birthed the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement.

An 18-year civil war resulted. Christians bore the heaviest suffering of the war and made up the majority of the 2 Million who died, the 1 Million who were exiled, and the 4 Million whose homes were destroyed. Despite the suffering, the conflict led to the liberation of Southern Sudan from the Muslim north. Every year, the South Sudanese celebrate May 16 as the day in which the seed was laid for their liberation.

Despite the brutal persecution and the heavy death tole, the Christian population grew from 5 percent to almost 90 percent during the years of the war. The Courage and faith of Sudanese Christians continues to inspire their brothers and sisters around the world. On May 16, Episcopalian Christians remember the Sudanese with this prayer:

“O God, steadfast in the midst of persecution, by your providence the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church: As the martyrs of the Sudan refused to abandon Christ even in the face of torture and death, and so by their sacrifice brought forth a plentiful harvest, may we, too, be steadfast in our faith in Jesus Christ; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Verse of the day: Matthew 10:28
Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable kill the soul.