I have often had a hard time relating to passages in the Bible that talk about the persecution of Christians. I have images in my head of Christians being burned at the stake or being led into the arenas to be killed by gladiators or wild animals. Emperor Nero covered Christians in pitch and impaled them on poles and used them as torches to light his gardens. But, if I’m being honest, that doesn’t really move me all that often.
I have compassion, sure. You can look back over the last 2000 years on every continent and in every time and read stories of the atrocities that have been perpetrated against Christians. These persecutions aren’t always as dramatic as the Christians-torn-apart-by-lions stories that you hear about. Many Christians throughout history experience social ostracization. Just for living for Christ, some are kicked out of their homes, rejected by their families, or fired from their jobs. Many Christian business owners lose business or are blacklisted in their trade. Many more suffer harassment, kidnappings, and threats to their families. Some of White Oak’s mission partners overseas have directly experienced similar things. You can read more about persecutions of Christians throughout the world through the organization called Voice of the Martyrs. (www.persecution.com).
All that to say, I can’t relate. Can you? Sure, some of us may have some stories of being made fun of at school for wearing a Christian t-shirt. We may feel some pressure during election seasons or when we take stands on certain social issues because we tend to tether faith to political viewpoints or politicians. To be certain, many Western people live in countries that offer more religious freedoms. This helps temper any government sanctioned persecution. By in large, we’re comfortable and safe in our faith. It begs the question: Why aren’t Christians in America persecuted for our faith in Jesus?
18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. -John 15:18-21
Could Jesus and the writers of the New Testament only be talking to people in a certain time and place in history or on certain continents in the modern era? I don’t think so. I think we need to dig deeper into our own hearts, and we’ll begin to uncover some answers… some reasons as to why Western people aren’t often experiencing persecution for following Jesus.
Could it be that we aren’t persecuted because our lives look too similar to everyone else’s? Could it be that, though others may know we go to church, they don’t really notice any other change or difference in your life compared to their own? It’s possible that American Christians spend our money just like non-Christians. We divorce at the same rate as non-Christians. We value busyness in our families as much as our neighbors do. We are just as mean on social media (if not more so). Is the way we treat and talk about others and the things we value any different from our culture’s?
It’s possible that the form of Christianity practiced by many Americans is not the brazen movement detonated with love and compassion and acceptance that Jesus was talking about! It’s possible that our Lord meant that our lives should be shining as an example of his mercy and grace. When we love extravagantly, we will value people and things that are counter to our culture and misunderstood by many. Human beings have always had the propensity to persecute what we don’t understand.
This way of following Jesus should cause others to push back against us. When the Church in American is awakened to this level of apprenticeship under Jesus, we may begin feeling the pressure our brothers and sisters are feeling around the world. Then, we may be closer to experiencing what Paul talked about when he describes in Ephesians 2, His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace…
Interesting, isn’t it? When we begin to suffer for Christ alongside our worldwide Christian family, its then that we will experience his Peace.
Praying for Peace,
Nathan
Nathan Hinkle
Lead Pastor
White Oak Christian Church