From Islam to Christ: The Quiet Revival in Iran

What this episode is about

The discussion centers on the increasing persecution of Christians in Iran amidst an anti-government uprising, highlighting the experiences of Iranian Christians who are fleeing to Armenia for safety. A pastor provides insights into their struggles and the quiet revival of faith in a country facing heavy scrutiny from the Islamic regime.

Key takeaways

• In a nation where converting to Christianity can mean death, hope is a rare and precious commodity.
• Armenia's status as a Christian nation is a lifeline for Iranian Christians escaping persecution across the border.
• While Iran's Christians flourish, their homeland grapples with the world's fastest-growing church amidst brutal repression.
• Despite religious pluralism in Armenia, Iranian authorities likely fume at the sight of converting countrymen so close by.
• With up to 80,000 protesters killed, the Iranian uprising fuels a desperate plea for international intervention among Christians.

Who speaks in this episode?

• John Bickley (Host) · 4 min speaking
• Jacob Persley (Guest) · 9 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 3:00: Armenia, Lean, Brick House Nutrition, Jacob Persley
2. 3:00 – 6:00: Armenia, John Bickley, Donald Trump, J.D. Vance
3. 6:00 – 9:00: Armenia, Jacob Persley, Syria, J.D. Vance
4. 9:00 – 12:00: Armenia
5. 12:00 – 13:13: Armenia, International Bible Church of Armenia, Donald Trump

Notable quotes from "From Islam to Christ: The Quiet Revival in Iran"

• Who works with Iranian Christians in Armenia who are forced to flee their homeland amid ongoing persecution. I'm Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley with Georgia How. This is a weekend edition of Wingwire.

  about John Bickley · at 0:14

• Well, we have an English-speaking international church in Yedavon, Armenia, and it caters to all the internationals that come in. And what is amazing is that Armenia borders Iran.

  about Jacob Persley · at 1:53

• Have in their own country. They're not even allowed to have a Bible in their own language. It's illegal and conversion from Islam to Christianity in Iran is capital punishment…

  about Iran · at 3:10

• Specifically with the uprising and protest in Iran against the Islamic regime. they believe and they've listened to Donald Trump, President Donald Trump, and he said that he…

  about Donald Trump · at 4:46

• Probably greater than that. And they are targeting civilians. There's people out there protesting. The presence of JD Vance in Armenia that's symbolically I think it probably…

  about J.D. Vance · at 5:44

• That has been native in Syria since the Armenian genocide and they are so there's there's good relationships among the peoples because of there's Armenians in Syria and…

  about Syria · at 9:16

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Jacob Persley — Person · Main guest · 2 mentions · first at 1:21
  Interview subject describing his ministry to Iranian Christian refugees in Armenia and discussing persecution in Iran and regional geopolitics.
• John Bickley — Person · Host · 2 mentions · first at 0:17
  Introduces the episode and leads the interview as Daily Wire executive editor, asking questions about persecution, Armenia, and US involvement.
• Donald Trump — Person · Referenced political figure · 2 mentions · first at 4:50
  Cited as a source of hope by Iranian Christians; discussed in relation to US involvement, promises to intervene, and prior administration diplomacy.
• J.D. Vance — Person · Referenced political figure · 2 mentions · first at 5:49
  Mentioned as being present in Armenia, framed as a symbolic signal of US support for democracy and religious freedom in the region.
• Nikol Pashinian — Person · Referenced political leader · 1 mention · first at 6:12
  Referenced as Armenia's prime minister who reduced Russian influence and sought closer integration with the West, shaping the geopolitical context discussed.
  Prime minister Nikul Pashinan up until he came to power, it's really been under a Russian influence. And with the new prime minister, he's really done a lot to move away from…

Companies & orgs

• International Bible Church of Armenia — Company · Business focus · 2 mentions · first at 1:29
  Church providing sanctuary and ministry to Iranian Christians fleeing persecution.
  The Bible says. They want to be discipled. And so they come to our church and we baptize them. And so we have a hu great ties and connections with the Christian community now within Armenia, but also in Iran.

Places & events

• Iran — Place · Setting · 1 mention · first at 0:04
  Primary location discussed due to its persecution of Christians and political tensions.
• Armenia — Place · Setting · 14 mentions · first at 0:15
  Key location where Iranian Christians flee to for religious freedom.
  Armenia, and it caters to all the internationals that come in. And what is amazing is that Armenia borders Iran.
• Syria — Place · Setting · 1 mention · first at 8:34
  Discussed in context of its relationship with Armenia and the Kurdish population.
• Yedavon — Place · Setting · 2 mentions · first at 1:55
  Location of the International Bible Church of Armenia.
  Well, we have an English-speaking international church in Yedavon, Armenia, and it caters to all the internationals that come in. And what is amazing is that Armenia borders Iran.

Sponsors

• Lean — Product · Sponsor · 2 mentions · first at 0:45
  Weight loss supplement promoted during the episode.
  Injections, especially when you start hearing about some of the side effects that can come with them. That's where Lean comes in. It's a weight loss supplement developed by…
• Brick House Nutrition — Company · Sponsor · 2 mentions · first at 0:26
  Company behind the Lean weight loss supplement, sponsoring the episode.
  Injections, especially when you start hearing about some of the side effects that can come with them. That's where Lean comes in. It's a weight loss supplement developed by…

Full transcript with timestamps

0:04 As Iran's Islamic regime continues to crack down on disscent amid the anti-government uprising, Christians in the country face even more scrutiny.

0:12 In this episode, we talked to a pastor who works with Iranian Christians in Armenia who are forced to flee their homeland amid ongoing persecution. I'm Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley with Georgia How. This is a weekend edition of Wingwire. This episode is sponsored by Brick House Nutrition. You've probably heard about those weight loss injections that everyone's been talking about, and for good reason. The results can be pretty incredible. They work by helping regulate blood sugar and keeping your appetite in check. But here's the thing.

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1:21 Today, here to discuss the ongoing persecution of Iran's large Christian population is Jacob Persley, a missionary and pastor of the International Bible Church of Armenia. Jacob, thank you so much for joining us.

1:33 Wow. It's a privilege to be here. Thank you. So, you uh minister in part to Iranian Christians and can you give us some context? How how did this happen? where where are you located in terms of your church and your ministry and why are Iranians

1:50 right uh fleeing into Armenia in the first place? Well, we have an English-speaking international church in Yedavon, Armenia, and it caters to all the internationals that come in. And what is amazing is that Armenia borders Iran. And so Iranian Christians that flee persecution come up to Armenia as the only free and democratic nation in the region. And so when they come up, they they want to be they want to know what the Bible says. They want to be discipled. And so they come to our church and we baptize them. And so we have a hu great ties and connections with the Christian community uh now within Armenia, but also in Iran.

2:27 Iran has an unbelievably rich history. Obviously, one of the most ancient countries on the planet. Same with Armenia. Armenia the first Christian country. Mhm.

2:37 Do you get I have too many questions for you, but do you do you get a lot of support from the Armenian government in terms of uh the freedom to worship and uh freedom to minister to whoever you want etc.

2:49 Yes, Armenia has freedom of religion and so they are it's a first Christian nation 301 AD. So they continue to allow that within their country and that is what brings the Armenians up to uh excuse me the Iranians up to Armenia because they know that this is a Christian nation and they want to have freedom of religion which they do not have in their own country. They're not even allowed to have a Bible in their own language. It's illegal and conversion from Islam to Christianity in Iran is capital punishment, death. So it's a very uh risky thing to convert to Christianity in Iran. But we are seeing Iran is the the country in the world.

3:28 When you look at missions and the church growth, it's the fastest growing Christian nation in the world right now.

3:33 Incredible. Does this create tensions between Armenia and Iran? I imagine it definitely does. And is does that not complicate it for the Iranian government to knowingly have churches that have a lot of people from Iran in them? Well, I I can't answer from a political perspective um because I'm working as a pastor, but I am sure that uh there are religious figures that are not happy about uh religious and Christian freedom. Now, I don't know how that's voiced or what's going on behind the scenes, but Armenia as a country allows for religious freedom, no matter who that is. So we have a mosque in in in Yavaban. We have a Jewish community. We have Yazidi community, Bahai community.

4:17 And and everybody's worshiping freely with no persecution. The trade negotiations and the peace negotiations overseen by the Trump administration or at least helped uh come into being by the Trump administration. How has that changed things on the ground for you? Have you seen any effect so far? The the main change I would say is Iranians that are Christians feel like they have hope for the first time. Um they've been under great persecution and specifically with the uprising and protest in Iran against the Islamic regime. Uh they believe and and they've listened to Donald Trump, President Donald Trump, and and he said that he would intervene if if people were killed. And now we've had up to 60 to 80,000 civilian protesters murdered brutally by the Islamic regime. And so my Iranian Christian brothers and sisters are saying, "Please help." I mean, they're looking to the United States as a world leader to come in and

5:17 stop this persecution. That's a a really high number you just gave. And there's, you know, there's a lot of conflicting reports because we don't know, but that's what you're hearing.

5:26 Oh, yes. 60 to 80,000. Oh, no. 100%. Now there are some now uh fi facts coming out where um just on one day hospitals in Thrron reported 1,800 deaths. That was just in one day. And so we do are now getting some hard statistics on the death but it's it's probably greater than that. And they are targeting uh civilians. There's people out there protesting. The presence of JD Vance in Armenia that's symbolically I think it probably means a lot right to that region. Have you seen um renewed confidence that the that the US has the back of those people who are fighting against tyranny in the region? Have you seen that effect?

6:11 So that's a good question. You know, um Armenia has been really up until uh the prime minister Nikul Pashinan um up until he came to power, it's really been under a Russian influence. And with with the new prime minister, he's really uh done a lot to move away from not not disconnecting from Russia but moving away from that influence and trying to integrate with the west and uh and what I've seen now is that relationship is getting better with uh now JD Vance in in the country of Armenia. It it is sending us a clear signal that religious freedom is important. uh freedom and democracy is important and it's giving hope to a lot of uh Christians uh that this uh connection in is now being made.

7:00 I don't know if this is too complicated of a question to answer but the the flavor of Christianity in the region I mean I I imagine it's very diverse very diverse backgrounds in terms of traditions etc. How do you how do you deal with that in terms of your ministries? How do you make it open enough that it's, you know, flexible enough in terms of traditions?

7:22 What does that look like? It's a great question. So, the Armenian Apostolic Church was founded in 301 AD. So, it's the largest state church, longest going state church in the world, which we have great respect for. I mean, missionaries came to Armenia. Actually, some of them had Persian uh ancestry. and the oldest coming back from Jesus's disciples that is from and Bartholomew came to Arminia. So they are there our brothers and sisters I mean as Protestants or Catholics we have one Jesus, one Bible, one faith, one baptism and so I I think uh what I've seen is I have great relationships within the Armenian Apostolic Church. We've worked together on projects. So I I think if we're focusing on the uh the majors, it's great. And specifically uh when you face uh persecution from uh other nations that are not friendly to Christianity, it gives us another reason to come together as one body.

8:19 Obviously the relationship between the US and Syria has been very complicated and uh particularly Armenia and Syria's relationship. How what what um what elements of your ministry bleed over into that? I mean, how much how much does Syria impact what you do? So, I've been doing ministry in Syria since 2005 when the Kamishi massacre took place when Bashar al-Assad's soldiers came up to massacre the Kurdish population. This is before ISIS. So, I've been uh very involved in Syria, hoping that the Kurds would not find their hope necessarily in a politician or an army, but in Jesus Christ. I'm a missionary. That's most important for me. And uh unfortunately we've seen a lot of uh difficult things happen in the country of Syria up until now. And uh what I've seen is that there is a good relationship with Syria and Armenia based on Armenian population that has been native in Syria since the Armenian genocide and they are so

9:22 there's there's good relationships among the peoples because of there's Armenians in Syria and Armenians in Armenia. Um but uh uh it's really unfortunate what's happened to specifically my expertise is the Kurdish populations.

9:38 How much outreach is there from Christian communities to the Kurdish population?

9:43 That is a very good question. Unfortunately, when you're under a Islamic regime, they have rules where you are not allowed to propagate your religion and if you do, you can be communally punished. So, you know, wearing a public display of a cross in Iran, in other Islamic countries is illegal. So, um there's been a pressure and an oppression on uh ethnic Christian communities to really just survive and if they do uh try to reach out in their communities, which they have. Now, that happened in Iran with um a man named um uh Haikov Sepion, and he was one of those Armenians within Iran that did share his faith, but he was also murdered for that. So, if you're very active in sharing your faith, it can be very dangerous for you.

10:36 Um and and it is a miracle though that the uh ethnic Christians have survived this long, even under Islamic uh suppression. What we've witnessed over the last few years is Iran being systematically defanged by Israel and the US in ways that are in rather incredible.

10:55 Um, a lot of their um key militants that they used uh as their um proxies um almost eliminated if not you know at least uh really um weakened. Is there a sense of growing hope in the region in general that there can be a larger lasting peace and uh particularly for the Christian population? Is there a sense that this is this is a a chance to grow in ways that we haven't seen before? You said Iran is the fastest growing, you know, in terms of percentage of Christians. Is there a regionwide sense of that? Well, when we're looking at the when talking to the Christian populations, I think people are very hopeful for Iran at this moment. I mean, the book of Jeremiah chapter 49 talk it has a promise for Iran that God will restore its fortunes after it's been destroyed. It's really interesting prophecy. And so, there's a lot of Christians that are looking at the Bible and they're looking at what's

11:57 happening internally in Iran and they're seeing a move from Islam. So most people become first atheist. They're atheists from a Muslim background and then uh when they hear about Jesus and actually get a hold of a Bible which is illegal, then they're like this is the truth. This is a God of love. And so that's why it's growing fast. And um the one thing I would say uh even if I'm talking to my Christian brothers and sisters, they say that they need help and they need help from other Western Christian powers to uh help to set them free. kind of like a Moses set my people free. They need somebody that can come in. And I know they're praying and they their hope is in the Lord, but they're also looking back to Donald Trump saying, "You made this promise. We're being massacred.

12:43 When are you going to come and help us because we're dying, so please come and help and fulfill your promise." Well,

12:49 we really appreciate you coming on the show and everything that you do in that region. I'm sure that's a very hard job, but it seems like you love it. Uh, thanks so much for coming on.

12:58 You're welcome. Thank you so much. That was Jacob Pley, a missionary and pastor of the International Bible Church of Armenia. This has been a weekend edition of Weire.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "From Islam to Christ: The Quiet Revival in Iran"?

John Bickley (Host), Jacob Persley (Guest).

What is "From Islam to Christ: The Quiet Revival in Iran" about?

The discussion centers on the increasing persecution of Christians in Iran amidst an anti-government uprising, highlighting the experiences of Iranian Christians who are fleeing to Armenia for safety. A pastor provides insights into their struggles and the quiet revival of faith in a country facing heavy scrutiny from the Islamic regime.

What is mentioned in this Morning Wire episode?

12 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Jacob Persley, Iran, Armenia, John Bickley, International Bible Church of Armenia, Donald Trump. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "From Islam to Christ: The Quiet Revival in Iran"?

The episode runs 13 min; the transcript is about 2,282 words in 27 timestamped sections.

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