Some of the other contributors are my friends. Dr. Isaiah M. Dau, the former principal of Nairobi Bible College, now the overseer/archbishop of the Sudan Pentecostal Church in the Republic of South Sudan, writes eloquently about the problem of evil and suffering, comparing African and Western views. In his conclusion, Dau writes that the "theology of the cross, which is also the theology of suffering, is the basis of transforming and transcending the problem of suffering and evil without being destroyed by it."

Another friend, Bob Fu, has written a chapter about Church and State relations in contemporary China. He would know. He was a student leader at Tiananmen Square, a house church leader, and then a prisoner before escaping and fleeing to the United States in 1996. Chapter 39, "Surviving Evin Prison" is an interview conducted by Sam Yeghnazar, the founder and director of Elam Ministries, with Maryam Rostampour and Marzieh Amirizadeh, the two beautiful Iranian Christian women who spent 259 days, under threat of life imprisonment or execution, in Iran's most notorious prison for their faith in Christ.

My chapter, one of the last in the book, is titled, "A Call: Accurate Information, Urgent Intercession, Thoughtful Advocacy, and Courageous Action." Knowing my work as the Religious Liberty Program director at The Institute on Religion and Democracy, the book's editor, Dr. Bill Taylor, the Senior Mentor for the WEA Mission Commission, invited me to contribute a section to encourage individuals and congregations to commit in both our personal lives and in the public arena to pray for, speak out about, and act on behalf of the persecuted church around the world.

I warn that "sometimes euphemisms are used that create a sense of moral equivalency between the persecutor and the victim," something at which the U.S. State Department seems to be experts. I also provide aids for intercession, and discuss means of thoughtful advocacy. "There is no dichotomy between spiritual warfare and social advocacy." And I end with a challenge, "Before the world and the church, the persecuted church is a testimony to God's grace. In his mysterious ways, God has given us the privilege of standing in solidarity with his persecuted ones through intercession, advocacy, and action. What will be our testimony before the world and the persecuted church?"

You can find out more about Sorrow & Blood on the website. You may want to tell your pastor, church youth leader, or Bible study leader about the book and purchase one for your church library or study group. Each chapter includes questions for reflection, so it is a great choice for a book study or Sunday School reading. I was privileged to participate in the creation of Sorrow & Blood, and pray that it will be used by all who read it to honor the suffering church and to become advocates on its behalf.

Faith J. H. McDonnell is Director, Religious Liberty Program and Church Alliance for a New Sudan for The Institute on Religion and Democracy.