Three Christian converts from the northern city of Rasht in Iran have been summoned to begin prison sentences for “spreading Zionist Christianity,” according to a recent report by Article 18, a a London-based non-profit organization that describes itself as dedicated to the protection and promotion of religious freedom in Iran and advocating on behalf of its persecuted Christians.
The three converts received between two and five year sentences for “acting against national security” and attending a house-church, according to the report.
The Christians are all members of the non-Trinitarian “Church of Iran.” They were first arrested in February 2020 and released on bail. Over the past year there have been several court cases and, in September 2020, their appeals were rejected.
According to a separate report by Israel Today, “the Islamic authorities in Tehran closely link faith in Jesus as the Messiah with the Jewish hope of national restoration” and therefore has started to crack down on Christian converts.
Iran, however, has the fastest growing Christian communities in the world. According to a report by Operation World, Evangelical Christianity is growing at a rate of nearly 20% a year in the country.