Brother Andrew

Brother Andrew in 2007

Andrew van der Bijl (born 11 May 1928 in Sint Pancras, Netherlands), known in English-speaking countries as Brother Andrew, is a Christian missionary famous for his exploits smuggling Bibles 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.

Conversion to Christianity

Brother Andrew recounts in God's Smuggler how, post-war, he enlisted in the colonial army of the Dutch East Indies 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.

Visits to Communist countries

In July 1955, he visited communist Poland, "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 mentored 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 African 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 Sherrill. 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.

Middle East

After the fall of communism in Europe, Brother Andrew shifted his focus to the Middle East and has worked to strengthen the church in the Islamic 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".

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 Palestinian 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. Also he visits some alleged Palestinian people that were forced to leave their home country to an isolated mountainous area by Israel, and preaches the gospel to them. Likewise, he and companion Al Janssen visit 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.

Bibliography

• Brother Andrew; Sherril, John; & Sherril, Elizabeth (2001). God's Smuggler, Chosen Books.
• Brother Andrew (1974). The Ethics of Smuggling, Tyndale House Publishers.
• Brother Andrew & DeVore Williams, Susan (1990). And God changed his mind, Chosen Books.
• Brother Andrew; Becker, Verne (2002). The Calling, Revell.
• Brother Andrew & Janssen, Al (2004). Light Force, Revell.
• Brother Andrew; Sherril, John; Sherril, Elizabeth; featuring Jars of Clay (2001). The Narrow Road: Stories of Those Who Walk This Road Together, Baker Publishing Group.
• Brother Andrew & Janssen, Al (2007). Secret Believers: What Happens When Muslims Believe in Christ, Fleming H. Revell.

See also

• Open Doors

References

• Statistics on Brother Andrew. URL accessed on 2005-07-01.
• Template:nl Open Doors timeline. URL accessed on 2006-08-06.
• Open Doors timeline (English). URL accessed on 2008-06-17.

External links

• Short biography
• Open Doors homepage
• Co-author of "God Smuggler" talks about writing with such heroes as Brother Andrew
• Secret Believers homepage
• Secret Believers podcast
• Open Doors blog
• Open Doors USA Myspace