Congressman Frank Wolf (VA-10) recently released his first book: Prisoner of Conscience, drawing from his 30 years of experience championing human rights from inside the U.S. House of Representatives.
From the Sudan to Tibet and Ecuador to Romania, Wolf shares firsthand accounts of how his Christian faith has led him to his present role as an aggressive advocate for those of any faith who face persecution and oppression because of their religious beliefs.
In 1984, on his first international trip to famine stricken Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Wolf confesses, “I had no idea what I was getting into.”
Wolf also addresses why the U.S. debt crisis impairs our ability to successfully advocate for human rights. Wolf suggests that there is presently “perhaps more persecution of people of faith now than anytime I can remember.” While economic issues may be spurring Americans to focus on domestic issues, he believes that we must not lose sight of the moral imperative presented by global abuses of human rights occurring from Iraq to Tibet to the Sudan.
In an interview with Christianity Today earlier this week, Wolf argued that we must regain the moral high ground required to speak up for those who are suffering around the world.
Today, there is not the passion or the commitment on the part of elected officials or business leaders to speak out on behalf of the persecuted. I think America has lost much of its influence partially because our leaders aren’t articulating human rights as a driving issue.
Wolf’s memoir is not a typical pre-election mini-book. Rather, it is an impassioned appeal for Americans to work across partisan lines advocating liberty and justice for all – not just here at home but around the world. He hopes it will inspire ordinary Americans to speak up for prisoners, for the persecuted and for the oppressed.
Bravo, Congressman Wolf. This is one book I’m moving up on my reading list.
