In 1563, John Foxe began a memorial of martyrs starting with Stephen, the first to die for the cause of Christ, and ending with the most recent martyrs of his day; those killed during Bloody Mary's reign. He knew that dangers lay in forgetting the martyrs--in being insensitive to their struggles.
Martyrdom is not a thing of the past; every day the Christian church is persecuted in countries all over the world. More Christians were afflicted in the twentieth century then all the past centuries combined. If the Church is not reminded of the cost to follow Christ, she will die. Be vulnerable to the cries of the martyrs. Let their courage, their faith, their love--touch your life.
This updated version includes reports on modern martyrs of the 20th and 21st century, a full-colour timeline of selected events and people for historical reference, and has been carefully edited into Modern American English for today's reader.