Iran's Fastest-growing Church, Theology and Empire, and Christian Witness in Wartime with Edwin Abnous

Fares Abraham sits down with Edwin Keshish-Abnous — an Iranian-American Christian born in pre-revolution Tehran — for a conversation on the explosive growth of the church in Iran, how theology and geopolitics shape each other in dangerous ways, and what faithful Christian witness looks like when both their homelands are in active conflict. They discuss the cost of discipleship under an Islamic regime, the shift from 500 Muslim-background believers to the fastest-growing evangelical church in the world, and what happens when scripture is used to justify modern warfare — including the recent use of Psalm 18 at a Pentagon worship service to frame the Iran conflict as a holy war. Edwin Keshish-Abnous is the Executive Director of Heart4Iran and Director of Programming at Mohabat TV, the first 24-hour Farsi Christian satellite channel. He is an adjunct professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and the author of two theological works in Farsi on the Lord's Prayer and the Trinity. ——— Welcome to the Fares Abraham Podcast. Explore untold faith stories from the Middle East and conversations that challenge the narratives you thought you knew. Hosted by Dr. Fares Abraham, this podcast offers a gospel-centered perspective on culture, theology, and current events in the Levant Region. Stay Connected with Pastor Fares Abraham: ⁠⁠⁠faresabraham.com⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠linktree/faresabraham⁠⁠⁠ Follow Pastor Fares Abraham on Social Media: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tiktok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linktree⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Helpful Links: Heart4Iran Mohabat TV GAMAAN Survey: "Iranians' Attitudes Toward Religion" (2020)