Brother Andrew
Encyclopedia
Andrew van der Bijl known in English
-speaking countries as Brother Andrew, is a Christian
missionary
famous for his exploits smuggling Bible
s to communist
countries in the height of the Cold War
, a feat that has earned him the nickname
"God's smuggler". Brother Andrew studied at the WEC Missionary Training College in Glasgow
, Scotland.
Brother Andrew was born in Sint Pancras, the Netherlands
, and was the fourth of seven children to a poor, near deaf blacksmith
. God's Secret Agent - Janet Benge, Geoff Benge – YWMA Publishing – 2005 – ISBN 1-57658-355-4. http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=N9-LXDbd3tIC&oi=fnd&pg=PA11&dq=%22Andrew+van+der+Bijl%22&ots=JIeJWtm4BZ&sig=D-DYt4j0CZgMOxMOJeqBchSyve4#v=onepage&q=%22Andrew%20van%20der%20Bijl%22&f=false
during the rebellion that would eventually form Indonesia
. He endured a period of severe emotional stress whilst serving as a soldier. He was wounded in the ankle and during his rehabilitation he read the Bible obsessively, eventually converting to Christianity
and having his ankle healed.
, "to see how my brothers are doing", referring to the underground church. He signed up to a Communist youth group, which was the only legal way to stay in the country. In that time he felt himself to be called to respond to the Biblical commission "Wake up, strengthen what remains and is about to die" (Revelation 3:2). This was the start of a mission leading him into several Communist-ruled countries where Christians were persecuted
- those behind the "Iron Curtain
".
In 1957 Van der Bijl travelled to the Soviet Union
's capital Moscow
in a Volkswagen Beetle
, which later became the symbol of Open Doors
, the organization he founded. An older couple who mentor
ed him had given him their new car, because it could hold several Bibles and spiritual literature. Although Van der Bijl was violating the laws of some of the countries he visited by bringing religious literature, he often placed the material in plain view when stopped at government checkpoints, as a gesture of trust in God's protection.
Brother Andrew visited China
in the 1960s, after the Cultural Revolution
had created a hostile policy towards Christianity and other religions. It was the time of the so-called Bamboo Curtain
. He came to Czechoslovakia
, when the suppression by Soviet troops of the "Prague Spring
" had put an end to relative religious freedom there. He encouraged fellow believers there and gave Bibles to Russian occupying forces. During that decade he also made his first visits to Cuba
after that country's revolution.
In 1976 some Africa
n countries came under atheist rule. He wrote a book about the spiritual struggle on this continent and in congresses called upon local Christian leaders to strengthen their communities.
. God's Smuggler tells the story of Brother Andrew's early childhood, conversion to Christianity, and adventures as a Bible-smuggler behind the Iron Curtain
. It has now sold over 10 million copies in thirty-five languages.
in Europe
, Brother Andrew shifted his focus to the Middle East
and has worked to strengthen the church in the Islam
ic world. In the 70s he visited war-torn Lebanon
several times, stating that "global conflict in the end times
will focus on Israel
and its neighboring countries".
and Lebanese churches in Lebanon
, Israel
and Occupied Palestinian Territories that express great delight because of the mere visit of a fellow Christian from abroad, because they feel the church in the Western world
at large is ignoring them. He also visited some Palestinian people that were forced to leave their home country to an isolated mountainous area by Israel, and preached the gospel to them. Likewise, he and companion Al Janssen visited Hamas
and PLO leaders including Ahmed Yassin
and Yasser Arafat
, handing out Bibles. Further on, there is a portrait of a project called Musalaha
(an Arabic
word meaning "reconciliation"), which attempts to bring closer together Israelis and Palestinians, which was founded by the Palestinian Evangelical leader Salim Munayer.
Brother Andrew's seventh book, called Secret Believers: What Happens When Muslims Believe in Christ, was released on July 1, 2007.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
-speaking countries as Brother Andrew, is a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
famous for his exploits smuggling Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
s to communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
countries in the height of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, a feat that has earned him the nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
"God's smuggler". Brother Andrew studied at the WEC Missionary Training College in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland.
Brother Andrew was born in Sint Pancras, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, and was the fourth of seven children to a poor, near deaf blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
. God's Secret Agent - Janet Benge, Geoff Benge – YWMA Publishing – 2005 – ISBN 1-57658-355-4. http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=N9-LXDbd3tIC&oi=fnd&pg=PA11&dq=%22Andrew+van+der+Bijl%22&ots=JIeJWtm4BZ&sig=D-DYt4j0CZgMOxMOJeqBchSyve4#v=onepage&q=%22Andrew%20van%20der%20Bijl%22&f=false
Conversion to Christianity
Brother Andrew recounts in God's Smuggler how, post-war, he enlisted in the colonial army of the Dutch East IndiesDutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
during the rebellion that would eventually form Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. He endured a period of severe emotional stress whilst serving as a soldier. He was wounded in the ankle and during his rehabilitation he read the Bible obsessively, eventually converting to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and having his ankle healed.
Visits to Communist countries
In July 1955, he visited communist PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, "to see how my brothers are doing", referring to the underground church. He signed up to a Communist youth group, which was the only legal way to stay in the country. In that time he felt himself to be called to respond to the Biblical commission "Wake up, strengthen what remains and is about to die" (Revelation 3:2). This was the start of a mission leading him into several Communist-ruled countries where Christians were persecuted
Persecution of Christians
Persecution of Christians as a consequence of professing their faith can be traced both historically and in the current era. Early Christians were persecuted for their faith, at the hands of both Jews from whose religion Christianity arose, and the Roman Empire which controlled much of the land...
- those behind the "Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
".
In 1957 Van der Bijl travelled to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
's capital Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
in a Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug, is an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003...
, which later became the symbol of Open Doors
Open Doors
Open Doors is a non-denominational mission supporting persecuted Christians in more than 50 countries where Christianity is socially or legally discouraged or oppressed...
, the organization he founded. An older couple who mentor
Mentor
In Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Alcimus or Anchialus. In his old age Mentor was a friend of Odysseus who placed Mentor and Odysseus' foster-brother Eumaeus in charge of his son Telemachus, and of Odysseus' palace, when Odysseus left for the Trojan War.When Athena visited Telemachus she...
ed him had given him their new car, because it could hold several Bibles and spiritual literature. Although Van der Bijl was violating the laws of some of the countries he visited by bringing religious literature, he often placed the material in plain view when stopped at government checkpoints, as a gesture of trust in God's protection.
Brother Andrew visited China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
in the 1960s, after the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
had created a hostile policy towards Christianity and other religions. It was the time of the so-called Bamboo Curtain
Bamboo Curtain
The Bamboo Curtain was a euphemism for the east Asian version of the Iron Curtain. As a physical boundary, it was marked by the borders around the Communist states of East Asia, in particular those of the People's Republic of China that were shared with non-Communist nations, during the Cold War...
. He came to Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, when the suppression by Soviet troops of the "Prague Spring
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
" had put an end to relative religious freedom there. He encouraged fellow believers there and gave Bibles to Russian occupying forces. During that decade he also made his first visits to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
after that country's revolution.
In 1976 some Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n countries came under atheist rule. He wrote a book about the spiritual struggle on this continent and in congresses called upon local Christian leaders to strengthen their communities.
God's Smuggler
In 1967, he published the first edition of God's Smuggler, written with John and Elizabeth SherrillJohn and Elizabeth Sherrill
John L. Sherrill and Elizabeth Sherrill are Christian writers. They have co-authored a number of best-selling books, including:*God's Smuggler with Brother Andrew...
. God's Smuggler tells the story of Brother Andrew's early childhood, conversion to Christianity, and adventures as a Bible-smuggler behind the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
. It has now sold over 10 million copies in thirty-five languages.
Middle East
After the fall of communismCommunism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Brother Andrew shifted his focus to the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and has worked to strengthen the church in the Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic world. In the 70s he visited war-torn Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
several times, stating that "global conflict in the end times
End times
The end time, end times, or end of days is a time period described in the eschatological writings in the three Abrahamic religions and in doomsday scenarios in various other non-Abrahamic religions...
will focus on Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and its neighboring countries".
Light Force & Secret Believers
In the 90s, he went to the region several times again. In the book Light Force Van der Bijl tells about PalestinianPalestinian Christians
Palestinian Christians are Arabic-speaking Christians descended from the people of the geographical area of Palestine. Within Palestine, there are churches and believers from many Christian denominations, including Oriental Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholic , Protestant, and others...
and Lebanese churches in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and Occupied Palestinian Territories that express great delight because of the mere visit of a fellow Christian from abroad, because they feel the church in the Western world
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
at large is ignoring them. He also visited some Palestinian people that were forced to leave their home country to an isolated mountainous area by Israel, and preached the gospel to them. Likewise, he and companion Al Janssen visited Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
and PLO leaders including Ahmed Yassin
Ahmed Yassin
Sheikh Ahmed Ismail Hassan Yassin was a founder of Hamas, an Islamist Palestinian paramilitary organization and political party. Yassin also served as the spiritual leader of the organization...
and Yasser Arafat
Yasser Arafat
Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini , popularly known as Yasser Arafat or by his kunya Abu Ammar , was a Palestinian leader and a Laureate of the Nobel Prize. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization , President of the Palestinian National Authority...
, handing out Bibles. Further on, there is a portrait of a project called Musalaha
Musalaha
Musalaha is a non-profit organization that works towards reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians based on the Biblical principles of peace, justice, and love. The name Musalaha comes from the Arabic word for 'reconciliation'...
(an Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
word meaning "reconciliation"), which attempts to bring closer together Israelis and Palestinians, which was founded by the Palestinian Evangelical leader Salim Munayer.
Brother Andrew's seventh book, called Secret Believers: What Happens When Muslims Believe in Christ, was released on July 1, 2007.