🔥 What if the Iranian regime’s biggest justification for persecution—that Christianity is a “foreign” Western faith—is a complete lie? What if the roots of Christianity in Iran are deeper and more ancient than the regime itself?

In this paradigm-shifting episode of Unmuted, host Edwin Keshish-Abnous sits down with Dr. Christian van Gorder—a leading expert on Islamic-Christian relations and author of Christianity in Persia—to uncover the explosive truth about Iran’s ancient Christian heritage. Dr. van Gorder dismantles the regime’s narrative that Christianity is a foreign import, revealing a vibrant, indigenous faith that predates Islam. Together, they explore the government’s strategy of “gradual eradication,” the inspiring legacy of martyrs like Mehdi Dibaj, and the incredible paradox of how state-sponsored pressure is fueling one of the fastest-growing church movements in the world.

🎯 Who This Is For:

1. Believers seeking to understand the deep historical roots of the Iranian church and its incredible resilience.
2. Anyone interested in how history is weaponized by authoritarian regimes and how reclaiming it can be an act of resistance.
3. Christians looking for informed ways to pray for and advocate on behalf of their persecuted brothers and sisters in Iran.
4. Supporters of Middle Eastern ministries who want to grasp the spiritual dynamics fueling the world’s fastest-growing underground church.
5. Listeners who need encouragement and hope by seeing how faith not only survives but thrives under immense, systematic pressure.

💡 Key Takeaways:

1. → The “Foreign Faith” Lie Exposed: Discover how Christianity has deep, indigenous roots in Persia, with its own rich history in the Syriac and Farsi languages, completely dismantling the regime’s primary justification for persecution.
2. → The Strategy of “Gradual Eradication”: Learn how the Iranian government uses quiet administrative pressure, surveillance, and legal restrictions as a more insidious form of persecution designed to suffocate the church from within.
3. → The Martyr’s Unshakable Legacy: Understand the profound impact of figures like Mehdi Dibaj, whose unwavering faith in the face of death turned the tables on his accusers and galvanized a generation of believers.
4. → The Paradox of Persecution: Uncover the stunning reality that the regime’s attempts to eliminate Christianity are backfiring, leading to widespread disillusionment with the state and fueling unprecedented growth in the underground house church movement.