Free Republic

Anne van der Bijl, a Dutch evangelical known to Christians worldwide as Brother Andrew, the man who smuggled Bibles into closed Communist countries, has died at the age of 94. Van der Bijl became famous as “God’s smuggler” when the first-person account of his missionary adventures—slipping past border guards with Bibles hidden in his blue Volkswagen Beetle—was published in 1967. God’s Smuggler was written with evangelical journalists John and Elizabeth Sherrill and published under his code name “Brother Andrew.” It sold more than 10 million copies and was translated into 35 languages. The book inspired numerous other missionary smugglers, provided...

Arnne van der Bijl, the Dutch missionary known for smuggling Bibles into communist nations and founding the Christian persecution watchdog group Open Doors, has died at age 94. Commonly referred to as “Brother Andrew,” van der Bijl passed away on Tuesday, with Open Doors USA posting a statement about his death on its Facebook page. “For more than 60 years, Open Doors' founder—Brother Andrew—visited over 125 countries in service to the global church. It's with mixed feelings that we share his greatest journey yet,” stated the organization. “God used Andrew's obedience and prayers to change millions of lives and eternities....