Top 10 Religion Stories

#10. South Korean Christian Missionaries Kidnapped in Afghanistan

For six weeks. Two were executed. If you weren't aware of their ordeal, you're probably not Korean — which is not an ethnic slam, but a reminder to those who haven't yet realized it that the religious world, too, is flat. The Taliban took 23 hostage last fall, killed two, released two, and reportedly ransomed the rest to the South Korean government for $10 million (the South Korean government denied paying). Back home, the missionaries apologized to the government. The incident revived discussions of martyrdom, evangelization, citizenship and discernment, and underlined the extent to which the West is no longer necessarily the driving force in Christian evangelization.

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