Persecuted: 'Never Before Have Muslims Been More Open to Christ'

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- About 150 pastors gathered here for a Persecuted Church Forum put on by Rep. Robert Pittenger, one of the leaders in the fight to protect religious freedoms around the world.

Former Rep. Frank Wolfe, R-Va., discussed Washington's failure to call what's going on overseas "religious genocide," despite the European Union and the Pope doing so recently.

"We're seeing the end of Christianity in the cradle of Cressida, Syria and Iraq," Wolfe said.

Wolfe closed his remarks by sharing the Sing a Little Louder video, an 11-minute film based on a true account of a man in his youth who witnessed the horrors of the Holocaust from the pews of his church, yet didn't see anyone step up to stop what was going on.

Watch the video below:

Despite the many horrors spoken of during the forum, there was some good news.

Tom Doyle, author of Killing Christians, spoke about how the Christian church in Iran is not just surviving the religious persecution going on, but it is thriving because of it.

"We don't survive, we thrive in persecution," Doyle said. "Never before have Muslims been more open to Christ."

"The fastest growing church per capita is in the Middle East, right amongst ISIS and all the different terrorist groups…the church is growing," Doyle continued. "Well, how can that be? The reason is over the past 2,000 years when the Church is persecuted, it grows."

He cited a report from Operation World, which shows that despite high levels of persecution and discrimination, the church in Iran is the fastest growing of anywhere on the planet.

Still, the need is urgent to lift up Christian brothers and sisters overseas currently dying for their beliefs.

Every speakers agreed it is time for America to wake up and acknowledge the modern-day genocide happening in the Middle East right now.