'God's Hostage': Andrew Brunson Reflects on Two Years Locked Up in Turkish Prison

Andrew Brunson was locked up in a Turkish prison for two years. The plight of the North Carolina missionary attracted worldwide attention and made him a political pawn in a power struggle between the US and Turkey.

Turkish police arrested Brunson in October 2016, three months after a failed coup attempt against Turkey president Erdogan.

The Brunsons served there for more than 20 years, where they established the Izmir Resurrection Church. They openly shared Christ and also helped Syrian refugees – some of them Kurds.

For that, the Turkish government accused Brunson of being a CIA agent, plotting with Kurdish terrorists to carry out the attempted coup.

Pat Robertson talks with Andrew and Norine Brunson about their new book, God's Hostage, on Thursday's 700 Club.

Initially, the Turkish government said it would free Brunson if the United States would send the accused coup leader, Fethullah Gulen, back to Turkey. Fearing Gulen would be killed, President Trump refused the exchange, so Brunson remained incarcerated.

Christians around the world were praying and working for Brunson's release and his safe return to the United States. Pastor Brunson says the knowledge that God was using his ordeal to raise up prayers from around the world for Turkey was part of what carried him through his personal struggle in that Turkish prison.

With the help of the Trump administration, his freedom finally came on October 12, 2018. Brunson writes about his ordeal in a new book, God's Hostage: A True Story of Persecution, Imprisonment, and Perseverance.

Meanwhile, as Congress returned to session this week, Pastor Brunson delivered the opening prayer in the US Senate chambers. You can hear him pray for America's leaders on Capitol Hill by clicking here: Pastor Brunson Just Prayed for Trump, Now He's Opened the US Senate with Prayer Too