Over the last 20 years I have had the privilege of covering stories of God's people in 94 countries. This was my first trip to Algeria, the fabled northwest African country bordering the Mediterranean Sea. My assignment that April 2005 was to report on the fastest-growing church-planting movement in the Muslim world.
My translator was a product of this phenomenon. On the way to my accommodations, Davy shared how he had loved to listen to Christian music on Radio Monte Carlo when he was a university student. Eventually, at his request, they sent him a copy of the Gospels. Reading Jesus' Sermon on the Mount made a big impact, especially the phrase "love your enemies."
Give me a minute. I've had a lifetime of thinking casinos when I hear Monte Carlo. This is rather unexpected, I must say.
Being openly Christian in a Muslim country isn't safe, however, as Meroff explains later in the article.
The high cost of following Christ means there are few nominal believers. Christians commonly suffer beatings, lose their homes, jobs, and sometimes their lives. Yet they continue to put themselves on the line, even giving their testimonies on television.
Hold on a moment while your hostess googles...
Ah, Radio Monte Carlo isn't broadcast out of the gambling center. It's actually... well, actually it appears to be several stations run by different organizations, broadcasting to and from all sorts of places: France, Monaco, Italy, Russia...
And the Arabic broadcasts originate from Paris, over Radio Monte Carlo Moyen-Orient, which is part of the Radio France Internationale Group? Am I reading that right?
Some Algerians have found Christ through broadcasts from Paris? Am I reading that right?
It certainly is an interesting world in which we live, no?
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