American Christians confuse freedom of religion and freedom in Christ such that their ultimate pursuit is not fullness in Christ but the freedom to remain spiritually immature. So says Rev. Eric Foley, a Colorado Springs pastor who teaches his congregation to emulate the discipleship practices of the North Korean underground church.

“The North Korean church is the most persecuted church in the world,” says Foley, co-founder of Voice of the Martyrs/Korea. “They have had to learn ways of worship that do not depend on special buildings or paid pastors or freedoms granted by the government. The early church was born in homes, with worship centered in families.

“The North Korean church still worships that way today, and they are stronger Christians than we are because of this. They treasure the word of God more than we do because it is so scarce for them.

“Their living rooms have become sanctuaries for God, not just places to watch television. They lack our worldly freedoms, but because of this they have become freer than we are in Christ.”