New
New
Year 10
Eduqas

Persecution of Christians: past and present

I can describe Christian persecution in past and present contexts and explain Christian responses.

New
New
Year 10
Eduqas

Persecution of Christians: past and present

I can describe Christian persecution in past and present contexts and explain Christian responses.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Persecution refers to hostility and ill-treatment, especially on the basis of ethnicity, religion, or political beliefs.
  2. There have been times and places throughout history where Christians have faced persecution.
  3. Christians are still persecuted in some parts of the world today.
  4. Organisations such as Christian Solidarity Worldwide and Open Doors aim to support those facing persectution.

Keywords

  • Martyr - a person who is killed because of their religious or other beliefs

  • Persecution - hostility and ill-treatment, especially on the basis of ethnicity, religion, or political beliefs

  • Solidarity - unity between members of a particular group

Common misconception

Because Christianity is the world's largest religion, Christians do not face persecution.

Christians have been persecuted throughout history and this continues today in some countries where Christianity is a minority religion.


To help you plan your year 10 religious education lesson on: Persecution of Christians: past and present, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

You may wish to remind students of the historical context of Jesus prior to beginning this lesson.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of serious crime

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is the main religion in the United Kingdom?

Islam
Correct answer: Christianity
Hinduism

Q2.
Christians believe that came to bring people back into relationship with God.

Correct Answer: Jesus

Q3.
Which of the following is a Christian denomination?

Sunni
Correct answer: Anglican
Mahayana

Q4.
What do Christians celebrate at Christmas?

Correct answer: Jesus’ birth
Jesus’ resurrection
the beginning of Lent

Q5.
What is the meaning of Easter for Christians?

Jesus going to Egypt as a child
Jesus’ teachings in Galilee
Correct answer: Jesus’ resurrection from the dead

Q6.
What is evangelism?

Helping the poor through charity.
Correct answer: Spreading the message of Christianity.
Studying Christian history.

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Many Christians believe that Jesus was for his teachings, which challenged authority and claimed he was the Son of God.

Correct Answer: crucified, killed

Q2.
A is someone who is killed because of their religious or other deeply held beliefs.

Correct Answer: martyr

Q3.
What happened during the Great Persecution under Diocletian?

Christians were given new temples.
Correct answer: Churches were destroyed and Christians were killed.
Christians were allowed to practise freely.

Q4.
What is one reason early Christians were persecuted by the Romans?

They followed Jewish food laws.
They wanted to leave the Roman Empire.
Correct answer: They refused to worship the Roman emperor.

Q5.
Christians are no longer persecuted.

True – there is no religious conflict today.
False – persecution ended after Roman times.
Correct answer: False – Christians still face persecution in some countries.

Q6.
How can Christians respond to modern day persecution?

Correct answer: by praying and supporting charities like Open Doors
by remaining silent and isolated.
By leaving their religion to avoid conflict.