“Please come to church with me tonight?” Sumarie’s friend invited her, week after week. But Sumarie was not interested in God. She believed that if the God portrayed by the church was truly the God of the Bible, then she wanted nothing to do with Him.

Then one week, the invitations stopped. But this time, the Holy Spirit prompted Sumarie to ask her friend if she could join her. That night, Sumarie met Christ and gave her life to Him.

The people of the Czech Republic are more spiritual than many might think, despite the country’s secular reputation. While it is true that most Czechs do not formally affiliate with any religion, there is still a deep belief in something or someone greater than themselves. Many, like Sumarie once did, believe that if the God portrayed by the church is the true God, then He is not a God they want to follow.

This perception is what makes the people of Czechia largely unreached. The image of God they have encountered does not align with the God of the Bible. It is not the same God seen in Christianity’s message of love and grace; it is the God of oppression, shaped by religious institutions that have caused hurt, fostered misunderstanding and ignited wars throughout their nation’s history.

If we could only hear Czechs describe the God they do not believe in, we might find that we have much in common. Their rejection is not of the true God—they have yet to encounter Him—but of the distorted view of Christianity and God that they have witnessed.

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