The Inspiring Faith of an Australian Gospel Worker Detained in North Korea

If it was a crime to tell other people about Jesus, would there be enough evidence to find you guilty as charged?

In North Korea it is a crime to tell others about Jesus, and Australian John Short was charged and put on trial.

Short is an Australian gospel worker who was detained in North Korea after depositing gospel tracts outside a Buddhist temple during a tourist visit inside the “hermit kingdom.” You can hear him tell the amazing story on Forbidden Faith: Inspiring Conversations with Persecuted Christians on the Charisma Podcast Network.

In spite of pressure and physical discomfort, Short refused to give in to fear. He says there isn’t room for both faith and fear in the heart at the same time—so he chose faith instead of fear. Short was encouraged by the example of persecuted Chinese Christians with whom he had ministered and fellowshipped during many years serving the body of Christ in China.

Listen as John shares about his experience being interrogated every morning and evening for days on end, including being forced to write a detailed summary of his activities during every year of his life (he was 75 at the time of his arrest).

In addition to John’s side of the story, listeners can hear John’s wife, Karen, tell what it was like to have no word from John during his 15-day detainment. In this special bonus episode of Forbidden Faith with Karen Short, you’ll also hear about the powerful impact the spiritual disciplines of prayer and fasting made not only in John and Karen’s spiritual lives but in those around them as well.

Listen now to hear John share his experience—and God’s faithfulness—while he was a prisoner in North Korea.

You can find out more information about what following Christ is like for Christians in North Korea through Voice of the Martyrs’ 2021 Global Prayer Guide. The Global Prayer Guide is a full-color book with country summaries on 60 hostile areas and restricted nations where the Voice of the Martyrs currently serves persecuted Christians. For each country, readers get a general overview of the situation for Christians, who the primary persecutors are, what it means to follow Christ in that country, how difficult it is to get Bibles and a summary of VOM’s ongoing work there.

Request your free copy of VOM’s 2021 Global Prayer Guide now and listen to inspiring conversations with persecuted Christians on Forbidden Faith today. {eoa}

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