How The Traitors can prompt us to pray

No series 4 spoilers included!  

I don't know about you but I am thoroughly enjoying banishing (pardon the pun) the winter blues by watching the current series of The Traitors, and it’s definitely fuelling some interesting conversations in the staff room as we compare notes over our sandwiches!   

But if you’ve somehow missed all the discourse and images of host Claudia Winkleman in her trademark fingerless gloves, here’s a quick overview of what the hit show is all about.  

The game  

The premise of the show is similar to the classic game Mafia or Werewolf, and sees a group of strangers (although some of them are more acquainted than we are initially led to believe…) brought together at a beautiful castle in the Scottish highlands. 

Players are split into two groups: faithfuls and traitors. Each night, traitors secretly “murder” a faithful, while the faithfuls work to identify and banish them.  

Contestants complete missions to grow a cash prize pot, which faithfuls share if all traitors are eliminated. But if any traitor survives, they take it all. Cue the drama.  

Ardross Castle, where The Traitors is filmed

From pretending to have a Welsh accent (because apparently, and ironically, it makes you sound more trustworthy), to hiding professions and family connections, the show thrives on secrecy and deception.  

As the game progresses, suspicion and paranoia run rife as every word, reaction and head turn is scrutinised. So what on earth has any of this got to do with Feba?   

Traitor or faithful?  

Sadly, in many of the places where we work, the fictional threats found in The Traitors are all too real for our partners and their listeners. Following Jesus, or even exploring the Christian faith, can brand them as a ‘traitor’ to their culture or government and the stakes can be life or death.  

Like the contestants on The Traitors, our partners often have to hide their identities. However, the fear of being exposed is not a game, and can lead to extreme persecution.   

Many of our partners, like Steve, have to keep their identities hidden 

Recently, our partner Steve (not his real name), who leads the Central Asia Project, has received violent death threats because of his Christian broadcasts. He shared with us:

We are at risk from radical Muslim groups who hate us because they are sure that we are converting proper Muslims into 'traitors of true God'. We often receive death threats threatening to behead us.

Another of our partners in Asia is in the process of relocating their office due to security risks, and other partners cannot live or broadcast in their home countries due to the risk of violence their faith brings.  

But despite these huge challenges, they remain faithful to God’s word and His calling to share the love of Jesus with those around them.  

The true prize  

Like any game show, The Traitors has winners and losers, and ultimately only a few will walk out with the prize.  

But the treasure our partners broadcast is so much more valuable than a bundle of cash. As Paul writes in Philippians 3:7-8:  

Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

Our partners know first-hand the loss that can come from following Christ. But they also understand the surpassing worth of knowing Him, and unlike The Traitors, the invitation is for everyone.  

While the contestants on The Traitors will continue to try and discern who amongst them is trustworthy - and we will enjoy watching them do it - millions around the world are searching for a much bigger truth. Through radio and audio media, our partners can reach their listeners with the answer: Jesus – the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  

Pray

Give thanks for the way our partners faithfully broadcast the good news of Jesus in hard-to-reach places  

Pray for protection over Steve, and all our partners who face the threat of violence  

Ask that listeners’ eyes would be opened and hearts would be impacted by the truth of the gospel