(PHOTO: REUTERS/FABIAN BIMMER)
Refugees from Middle East seeking asylum.
Iranian Muslims seeking asylum in Germany are reportedly converting to Christianity at a high rate, and one Berlin church has seen its membership jump from 150 to 600 in a short time, with most of its new members being Muslim converts.
These new believers have been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and wish to never return to their home country to the intense persecution from radical groups like Islamic State.
Becoming a Christian also helps migrants' and refugees' chances of staying in Germany, but the pastor of the booming Berlin church isn't worried about the motives behind the conversions.
"I know there are — again and again — people coming here because they have some kind of hope regarding asylum," said Pastor Gottfried Martens to Fox News. "I am inviting them to join us because I know that whoever comes here will not be left unchanged."
Gottfried believes the Gospel message is really changing the hearts of these Muslim men and women. He also told Fox that only 10 percent of these converts fail to return to church after being baptized, Fox News reported on Friday.
Asylum seekers in Germany are expected to number close to 800,000 this year, according to Fox. Many of these refugees come from countries where radical Islam has wreaked havoc on their citizens, including countries like Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Not every German is celebrating the mass immigration of Muslims into their home country, however.
Pegida, an anti-Islamisation movement, staged a rally in Germany back in January to protest the mass immigration of Muslim refugees into the country. The group gathered close to 25,000 supporters and used the 2014 terror attack on satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in France as fuel for their campaign.
"The terrible acts of Paris are further proof that PEGIDA is needed," said the group's founder, Lutz Bachman, in 2014.
Pegida's actions were condemned by German politicians including Chancellor Angela Merkel, who said its members "have hatred in their hearts."
Counter-rallies that support Muslim immigration into Germany have drawn much larger crowds, with close to 100,000 people attending a demonstration back in January.
The alleged murder of a 20-year-old asylum seeker also sparked support among many Germans. The victim was murdered in Dresden and some refugees spoke out concerning their safety after the incident.
"People treat us like enemies, there is hate in their eyes, we don't dare go out, we need protection," said one of the asylum seekers.
Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/muslim-refugees-are-being-baptized-and-converting-to-christianity-says-berlin-pastor-144554/#ZPCdePt4gSxxMhq5.99
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