When the going gets tough...

In a country where an estimated 2 to 3% of the population are Christians, and the vast majority of those are relatively poor and belong to relatively small and unknown churches, it is rare for Christianity to grab the headlines.

But that all changed in the space of a few eventful weeks this Summer. Here is how the story unfolded...

The 30 day campaign
It all began with an announcement earlier this year that popular US tele-preacher Joyce Meyer would be coming to Cambodia to spearhead a 30-day campaign (entitled 30 Days of Hope) consisting of medical assistance, youth teams and high-profile outreach events in major cities across the country.

The plan was for the campaign to culminate in a high-profile 'Festival of Hope', to be held in the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh and featuring well-known Christian music acts such as Darlene Zschech (of Hillsong, Australia) and Delirious? (of Littlehampton, UK). The daily barrage of TV advertisements ensured that the event was not just big news for Cambodia's Christians - everyone was talking about it, even my Khmer language teacher!

It was at this point that it all started to go...well, more curve-shaped. The high-profile presence of Christianity within the nation appeared to rattle the Supreme Leader of the Buddhists in Cambodia, who was soon on the telephone to his friends in the Government (at the oddly named Ministry of Cults & Religions) to make his feelings known.

The Government directive
A few days later, we had ourselves a Government directive (like a memo but with added force). It stated, in no uncertain terms, that Christians were forbidden to 'prosletyze' those of other religions, including going door-to-door knocking and distributing Christian literature outside of the church building, activities which "disturb the daily lives of the people."

The directive also criticised churches and Christian groups for using "money, materials and other means to convince people to change their religion", such as offering cakes and sweets to children as a form of 'conversion bribery'. Finally, the directive also reminded followers of all faiths that they would need permission from the central Government before they could build any new churches, temples or mosques.

The following Sunday, churches around the country were abuzz. Words such as "trial" and "persecution" abounded, with the speaker at one large multi-national church suggesting that it may not be long before followers would be forbidden to bring their Bibles to church!

Not all churches reacted as strongly, with some taking it as an opportunity to review their approach to evangelism and ensure that they were in-line with both the Cambodian law as well as the Greatest Commandment.

The power-cut
In the midst of this stirr, came the weekend on which the three 'Festivals of Hope' had been scheduled to take place in Phnom Penh. The big question on was: Would the Government allow them to proceed?

The answer was Yes and No. A week prior to the events, the Government informed the organisers that the events could not be held at the Olympic Stadium as planned (due to the very important Monk being not very happy), but they could take place at a smaller venue.

When Friday night came round (the night of the first event), everyone crammed into the unbearably small Chenla Theatre in preperation for the festival. No sooner had they sat down, than the Police arrived to announce they were shutting down the event.

First they cut the power to the auditorium, plunging the event into total darkness. Then they sealed the entrance gates shut to ensure that no further people could enter the compound.

The result was an oddly inspiring scene of defiance - Joyce Meyer, Darlene Zschech and Delirious? made their way outside the auditorium and began to sing and preach to the gathered massess (both those locked in the compound and those locked out on the streets) using only a bullhorn and their God-given voices. This was truly Christianity unplugged.

The aftermath
The dust has now settled and the multi-million Joyce Meyer fanfare has left town. But what does this all mean for the embattled Cambodian Church?
Talking to some, the events of this Summer have been a wake-up call for churches to unite together and prepare themseves to take a stronger stand within Cambodian society.

For others, the whole thing has been an unfortunate saga where foreigners drew far too much unecessary attention to Christians in Cambodia, forcing the Government to respond in order to protect the status quo. They believe it's time to move on and stick to the low-key Christianity that is steadily gaining ground around the country without causing any public fuss.

Regardless of how much good or bad the Joyce Meyer campaign has actually done, what the longer-term ramifications will be for the relationship between a growing Church and an increasingly edgy Government remains to be seen.

Perhaps the enduring truth of these events is that, times of trial tend to push people closer together, not further apart. And the result of persecution, more often than not, is greater, not more diminished, faith amongst the persecuted.