What I saw in Armenia and why the American church needs to care

By Jim Garlow, Op-ed contributor Tuesday, October 08, 2024

Armenian refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh are seen in the center of the town of Goris on October 1, 2023, before being evacuated in various Armenian cities. A United Nations mission arrived in Nagorno-Karabakh on October 1, 2023, Azerbaijan said, after almost the entire ethnic-Armenian population fled since Baku recaptured the breakaway enclave. Armenians, who had controlled the region for three decades, agreed to disarm, dissolve their government and reintegrate with Baku following a one-day Azerbaijani offensive last week. | DIEGO HERRERA CARCEDO/AFP via Getty Images

I had the opportunity to join a delegation hosted by Save Armenia: A Judeo-Christian Alliance to Armenia over the summer, and what I witnessed was both heartwarming and heartbreaking. The delegation was a group of Christians from the United States who wanted to discover Armenia, its Christian heritage, and all the hardships that the country has faced over the years.

In particular, this fact-finding mission explored the reality for Armenians from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and what these Christians experienced at the hands of Azerbaijan which ruthlessly invaded their homeland in 2020 and in the fall of 2023. Azerbaijan ethnically and religiously cleansed the region from Armenians and their precious Christian heritage that has been in their land for over 2,000 years.

The heartwarming aspect of our visit was with the Armenian people and their amazing hospitality, and their willingness to open their hearts and doors to our delegation. We were received and embraced by the Armenians at every stage of the visit. The sense of their faith and commitment to being a Christian nation was almost palpable at nearly every stage of our schedule and travel around the country. We saw churches, monasteries, and other Christian holy sites throughout the land that have stood there as a testament to the nation’s commitment to embrace the teachings of Jesus. They have kept that commitment throughout the centuries as the people have persevered through remarkable hardship perhaps culminating in the horrific genocide of 1915 where the Ottoman Turks massacred nearly a million and a half Armenian Christians. Unfortunately, as we discovered during the visit, this same hate continues to plague the first Christian nation in the world.

What broke our hearts during the visit was hearing the testimonies of the witnesses and survivors of persecution. Just over a year ago, the forces of Azerbaijan invaded the autonomous region of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) killing innocent civilians and destroying Christian churches, cemeteries, and other holy sites that have existed in that region for hundreds of years. Nagorno-Karabakh is an Armenian-Christian land. The people of that region are Armenian and they have every right to continue to live in that land.

We heard the stories and saw images of unspeakable horrors that the Armenian people of Artsakh endured at the hands of the Azerbaijanis. One woman shared the story of her sister who was gang raped, murdered, and mutilated by the Azerbaijani soldiers, after which they took pictures of the desecrated body and celebrated their actions on social media. The savagery of these actions cannot be overstated and while the government of Azerbaijan continues their policy of ethnic and religious cleansing of the land, they are supposedly engaged in a peace process with the Armenian people. Not for a moment do we believe that they are negotiating this peace in good faith. While the process is ongoing, the Azerbaijani government is holding captive Armenian civilians, political leaders, and prisoners of war who have cited instances of terrible treatment including torture at the hands of the Azerbaijanis.

Furthermore, Azerbaijan was unanimously selected to host the upcoming climate conference — COP29. This conference — wherever you may land on the issue of climate change — is about environmental justice. A country that just committed ethnic and religious cleansing was honored by the international community to host this conference on justice. The international community should be asking itself — why would the world honor a dictatorial regime that just forced the eradication of 120,000 Armenian Christians and committed heinous human rights violations to host a conference that is rooted in justice?

As an American pastor and a political observer for almost 50 years, I call upon all Christians in the United States to put a stop to this conference and at the very least demand a change of venue for this event. Instead of attending this conference, the international community should instead hold Azerbaijan accountable and shine a light on the atrocities of the regime and demand that the prisoners be returned and the refugees of Artsakh to return their beloved homeland in peace and security.

Overall, my visit to Armenia dramatically impacted my view of our Christian heritage and roots in this beautiful land. We owe the Armenian people an apology for our silence and our commitment to not remain silent as these evil forces continue to pressure this first Christian nation in the world. I ask the churches and the pastors across America to support Armenian Christians, tell the stories, raise awareness and demand that our government hold Azerbaijan accountable for these heinous actions.

Dr. Jim Garlow is the Founder and CEO of Well Versed, a ministry to Members of Congress, Ambassadors at the United Nations in New York City, and other elected officials, bringing Biblical principles of governance to government leaders. He served on President Trump’s Faith Advisory team for four years, and has met in small delegations with 10 presidents and prime ministers (and one king) from around the world.