>> george: today on christian world news, a rising tide of persecution is chasing christians out of their homeland. we'll show you one european church that is taking them in. >> wendy: plus, conference 2013, 60,000 youth come together for a time of extreme worship, and make a bold pledge to change the world. >> george: and from light to darkness. one man's journey from serving the devil to building god's kingdom. >> george: in at least 60 countries, followers of jesus christ suffer daily in interrogation, arrest, and even death. hello, everyone, i'm george thomas. >> wendy: and i'm wendy griffith. open doors u.s.a. has released its annual watch

list of the world's 50 worries offenders. most surprising, christians in africa are witnessing a surge in persecution there. mali jumped from unranked to number seven. tanzania, kenya, uganda, and argentina joined the list, and ethiopia climbed from 38 to 15. but north korea is the worst country in the world to be a christian. it topped the chart for the 11 year in a row, followed by saudi arabia, afghanistan, iraq. >> the arab spring, in many ways, has turned into an islamic winter for the christians of the middle easterly. that includes the whole state of north africa. pretty much every place that has an election has elected islamists, and they have made it more difficult for the churches of the middle

east, who are pretty significant minorities in a lot of these countries. so that has been a bad thing. >> george: tens of thousands of christians are fleeing the middle east because of persecution, yet this modern day exitous is getting little attention in the west. now a jewish group is teaming up with christians to spread the word about persecution of middle east christians. chris mitchell reports. >> reporter: almost 200 million christians face persecution each year, especially in the birthplace of their faith, the middle east. iraq is just one example. >> since 2003, there has been a systematic attack launched against the christian community, and other minorities, in iraq. unfortunately, the mainstream media and many churches really don't talk about the persecution of their brothers and sisters in christ. >> reporter: a syrian christian, julianna, had to be smuggled out of her home country due to religious persecution. she says since the end of

saddam hussein reign, it has forced two-thirds of iraq's christians to flee. it escalates attacks on churches, to forcing christians to choose between converting to islam or paying a protection tax. >> the next up for the islamic extremists were to go in and attack families, kill children and kidnap women, impregnating them, and torturing men, beheading then, and then they started attacking clergy members. >> it is amazing to see what is happening to the christians by islamic forces, christian worshippers are in a church and they would get attacked. >> reporter: rimaham says the media ignores christian persecution because it contradicts the media's perception of islam. >> if this idea gets out, that muslims are intolerant to the other, it kind of puts the struggle with israel in a different life. >> reporter: he blames the lack of attention on an

anti-christian sentiment in the american media and throughout the world. >> this is something they don't want to talk about because then they will be perceived as pro-christian. but it is a human rights issue. >> this is an issue that is a major human rights issue in the world. that is not getting the attention that it deserves in the west. >> reporter: alan schneider of the a well-known jewish organization recently brought experts, like eas inrahim, and ty morasi to talk about the christians in the middle east. tye says they were more open. >> they said we want to volunteer for your organization. >> reporter: the group's conclusion: americans and europeans should take time to find out what is happening to christians in the middle east and see what they can do to help. chris mitchell, cbn news,

jerusalem. >> wendy: so where are all of these christian refugees going? some are landing in europe, and they're bringing revival. dale herd records from berlin. >> reporter: parts of germany are among the most godless areas in the world. polling shows that bee leav belief in god in the east germany is only 13%. but church attendance is growing here, thanks to former muslims from iran. converts to christianity have doubled the size of the congregation. deaconess rosemarie gertz. >> it came like an unexpected new rain. suddenly new people started coming every week and asked to be baptized. in the beginning, only five or six iranians came. they were easy to spot and we got to know them. and then over time, they brought their friends and neighbors. >> reporter: germany has experienced a surge in islam this year. muslims conducted a nationwide campaign to give

away qurans, in a country that has largely turned its back on biblical christianity. but iranian immigrants have experienced the oppression in their native land, and they're hungry for christianity and the freedom. michael asked we hide his face. >> i met a few times in an underground church, in a flat. there we spoke about jesus, and we tried to do a bible study, sometimes without an actual bible. >> reporter: all of the persians we spoke to accepted christ in iran, and then had to either flee or risk prison or death. >> i was on the way to a house church meeting, when i saw police outside the flat. so i didn't go in. and later i called my mother. she said the police were here looking for you. so my family helped me flee the country. >> when i was in iran, i wanted to become a christian, but it's really

difficult to learn about christianity in iran. it is forbidden for a muslim to become a christian. it was really difficult. i had to leave my parents. so i lost my home and my family. >> reporter: rosemarie says the persians were surprised to find so many germans disinterested in christianity. >> most of them became christians in iran and know more about christianity than you would expect. they're ahead of us in a sense because they have already been persecuted for christ. and they figured out pretty quickly that a lot of germans are christians in name only. and they're disappointed that germans take religious freedom for granted. >> reporter: some germans are suspicious of the conversions because being baptized can help a refugee stay in germany, rather than than be deported. so rosemary takes the christian converts through a rigorous class of bible classes. >> i expected some of them

wanted to be be basttized so they could get the residency, but that turns out to be only a few. in fact, some that have been baptized have come back to our class and to be baptized for the fourth time. >> reporter: it has become a nationwide phenomenon, and it is numbering in the thousands. at the house of god's help, it has reinvigorated the congregation. dale herd, cbn news, berlin. >> george: coming up, an army of 60,000 strong, and filled with passion for christ. how this generation of young christians is pledging to change the lives of millions of people.

>> wendy: welcome back. a case of gang rape, and murder in new dehli, india, has gained international attention. this month a pack of men savagely beat and sexually assaulted a 23-year-old woman on a public bus.

she later died. her attackers are in police custody, facing charges of murder and rape. with indians calling for reform in a society that often tolerates violence against women. recently i spoke with k.p p p. yohan yohanon. we spoke about the plight of women in india, and how the message of jesus christ is giving them hope. dr. yohanon, you say this case highlights the long time abuse of women in india. describe some of the abuses they endure. >> rape and abuse for women and to young girls, forever being kind of a normal thing that is going on, and to never get punished -- every year some 26,000 dallets, women, and young girls are raped and abused. and yet less than 1% of these people are prosecuted. >> wendy: let me ask you

this, doctor, why are women valued less than men in the indian society? >> unlike the united states or countries, where the judeo christian faith is where women are given value and significance. in many of these nations, it is not like that. >> wendy: how is it in the church in india? as people accept christ, do you find their attitudes and treatment of women are changing? >> absolutely. i can tell you community after community, nepal our india or bangladesh, and many places we find in small communities, when people come to the lord, and all of a sudden they're reading god's word and they're hearing god's word, they understand the way god looks upon women and children and their value. and we see -- i know at least one village personally

where five years among these people -- we find women look like women, and men treat their wives with some dignity and respect and love. and the family prays together. it is an amazing transformation that comes because of the gospel and the hope and the love experienced because of jesus. >> wendy: what is it like for an indian woman, who has been a hindu all her life, and she hears the gospel message of jesus christ for the first time, and perhaps hearing for the first time she does have value and that she is loved. how does she respond to that? >> i would say it is like meeting here in new york or las vegas somewhere, a man living under a bridge, on the street, in a cardboard box, and he here's the news, somebody says, hey, joel, your father left $10 million to your name. it is in a bank. it is yours. and can you imagine the happiness, the joy, the excitement? they say, really?

and everything changes. when these people hear jesus loves them, he died on the cross, he was buried and rose again, and he is alive with them, forgiving them, and loving them. and all of a sudden something happens on the inside. there is this hope. i don't have to live like this. and that love of christ transforms these people, and i have seen it a hundred times. just like you find in the gospel of john, when jesus encountered these women and their lives changed. and today that is happening not only in india, but all of these nations. the muslim communities, the hindu communities, and the triples and the dalits, and the good news is always good news because it brings hope, and that's what these people need. >> wendy: the doctor also praised india's government for its response to the protest. he said, quote,"i am grateful for how the prime minister and sandy gandhi,

along with government agencies, are responding to the outcry. positive steps are being taken." you can learn more at the ministry's website, and you can find the link on our website, cbnnews.com. >> george: young people acrosthe united states are taking up the fight to end human trafficking around the world. on college campuses in all 50 states, and more than 50 countries, they're shining the light on modern day slavery. as my colleague ephraim graham reports, they accepted their mission at a new year's conference called passion 2013. >> reporter: 60,000 students packed atlanta's georgiadome for a party. a time of worship. >> jesus in infinitely worthy of eternal admiration. >> reporter: and to hear god's word. this is passion 2013, an

annual conference for young christians that grows larger each year. >> these students are coming together. lifting up the name of jesus together, and with that, it's a beautiful sight. >> reporter: this is an army of believers from all 50 states, and 54 countries. they are leading these young people in what many would call an impossible mission. it is called "end it now." it's a fight to end modern day slavery. >> one thing we can agree on is there are 27 million slaves, and there should be no more slaves. so we're going to lift that up and put it front and center. >> reporter: armed with smartphones, credit cards, and ipads, young people attended. and passion is partnered with more than a dozen organizations on the ground and around the world. >> we believe jesus was the original abolishist, and these are the first once. these students, they don't love modern day slavery, social causes. they love jesus.

and they want to follow jesus, and they want to do what jesus is calling them to do. >> reporter: the faces on this board are symbolic of 27 million people enslaved around the world. passion's goal is to wipe the slate clean and bring freedom to every single person. >> i believe it because god can do things. i think this is a generation that is going to rise up and speak the lord. >> we're talking about 2 27 million men, women, children, oppressed, trapped, raped for profit, working in the worst of the worst conditions and not getting paid, threats of violence against their lives. that is happening. that's real. it is a $32 billion industry. all 27 million slaves were created by god, not to be oppressed, but to live in freedom. and that's what these students care about. >> reporter: it is also what these 60,000 students prayed about before leaving passion 2013. they lit candles, vowed to shine a light on the dark world of slavery as they

returned home. they also prayed for patience, to see this mission to completion. >> one of the biggest issues about our generation is we're a "how can this be solved" now generation. and the lord works on his time. and he is perfect and everything he has is perfect in his plan. >> reporter: ephraim graham, cbn news, atlanta, georgia. >> wendy: up next, once he dedicated his life to satan, and now this man is serving god in one of the most dangerous places on earth.

>> wendy: since the late '90s, islamic radicals have had a bloody insurgentsy in russia. >> george: recently i met one man on a mission to bring peace to this region. denadi turkin is not proud of his past, and he gets uncomfortable talking about it. >> i left home when i was 13

years old, and got entangled with the wrong crowd. i did a lot of things i'm ashamed of. >> george: he is from a small russian city, and his life reads like a hollywood mafia thriller: drugs, armed robbery, prostitution, money laundering, gun smuggling, you named it and he did it all, and then some. >> it is as if i became the devil's slave. i remember making a pact with satan, to serve him. >> george: and his deeds eventually caught up with him. >> i was arrested and sentenced to 20 years in prison. >> george: that's the past, and to witness the power of a life transformed by god, look no farther tha denadi terkin. the year was 1987, and the former soviet union faced political changes. and he sat in prison. >> i had a ba bad reputation in prison.

prisoners were even afraid of me. >> george: one day christians came to share the love of jesus. he says it was the first time he heard the message. but it took four years for it to sink in. >> in 1991, i dropped to my knees in the prison cell and told god i was a sinner. from that moment i went from serving satan to a servant of jesus. >> george: the prison miraculously shortened his sentence by five years, and he was released in 1996. the day after he walked out of prison, he walked into a bible training seminar, organized by russian ministries, which focuses on bringing the gospel to the former soviet union. >> russian ministries was very fundamental in my life. their classes taught me how to share my new faith with others. and they put in my heart to help change the next generations of leaders in my country. >> george: he was baptized shortly thereafter.

now for over 10 years, he has been leading a church in the north crackcos region. >> i am convinced it is the love of jesus that turned my life around. >> george: in that time, two wars, and scores of terrorists' attacks have killed thousands and displaced many more. turkin's goal? reach this war-torn region with messages of reconciliation and forgiveness. one way is to reach young people. he coordinates dozens of youth camps each year, in partnership with russian ministries and local congregations. he is a member of her church and helps with the camps. >> these kids have to know there is an alternative lifestyle to violence. we spend time handing out gifts and playing games. it gives us an opportunity to share the gospel. >> george: many parents say the camps are god-sent.

>> i love it when they talk about peace and getting along with other ethnic and religious groups. they're helping to build bridges, and this is important. >> george: in one city, the local communist party took out full-page newspaper ads promoting the youth camps. >> you may be surprised, but there are many christians in the camps. >> george: when he is not coordinating camps, turkin trains other leaders. >> it is all about missions and. >> george: working here is not without ad its hardships. where russian forces have battled back and forth to control the province. there is relative peace now, but i islam's influence is growing. with the help of several governments, include saudi arabia, they have erected what could be the largest mosque and europe. and for christians, life for them cannot only be

challenging, but potentially dangerous. cbn news agreed to conceal his identity for protection. >> i have been repeatedly warned by muslim radicals and local authorities to stop preaching, but i will not. i'm a simple man, who's life was one day touched by christ. i have the responsibility to tell others about him, no matter the cost. >> george: it's the price that these men and the other believers are willing to pay to bring everlasting life. >> this is my mission, to bring love and hope to this region. >> george: they call southern russia one of the most dangerous places in all of this country. and a man who spent years serving the devil is spending his life serving jesus christ now and bringing hope to the north caucuses. >> wendy: thanks, george.

we'll be right back.

>> george: and finally this week, iranian pastor yusef nardarkhani is out of