Simon Cox Blog: Pray for Aleppo? Survey Says Fewer Christians Pray for Refugees

Thursday 22 December 2016

Pray for Aleppo? Survey Says Fewer Christians Pray for Refugees

World Vision president sees ‘America’s heart closing’ to Syria and Iraq.

As thousands continue to evacuate Aleppo—once Syria’s most populous city and home to one of the largest Christian communities in the Middle East—American support for refugees is dwindling.

American Christians are less responsive to the Syrian crisis than they were a year ago, according to a World Vision survey conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs.

Fewer “committed Christians” said they had taken action on behalf of refugees in the past two years. In 2016, 38 percent said they had been involved, down from 44 percent the year before. The number of committed Christians praying for Syrian refugees dropped by more than a third this year, down to 19 percent.

“It’s disappointing to see America’s heart closing to refugees. This is not the compassionate and generous nation I know we truly are,” said Richard Stearns, president of World Vision, which launched a Christmas solidarity campaign called #Candle4Syria. “And it’s shocking that Christians, who are held to a higher standard by our Lord, are praying even less for refugees.”

Americans have become slightly more willing to share news about refugees on social media (14%) and to donate to aid groups (11%) than last year, World Vision reported.

An estimated 25,000 Syrians have fled eastern Aleppo since a ceasefire between government and rebel groups began last week. The evacuations are expected to conclude as early as yesterday.

The Economistparses how the Christian population in Aleppo—“the location of some venerable Christian churches, going back to the faith's earliest years”—now finds itself in a precarious position amid the violence. Most churches still functioning in the city are in the ...