“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.” John 15:20

I Made it to Page 30

There is a saying: 'The Devil doesn't care who does the hating, as long as the hating gets done.' The reality behind the hatred that causes the persecution of our faith is something we would rather not dwell on. For many it's happening somewhere else. Distance becomes an anesthetic. I've noted on social media many Christians pursue what I call 'fluffy religion' that only speaks of feel good Bible verses, flowery sayings, and pretty posts failing to grasp weightier spiritual issues. Persecution of the church is too disconcerting to think about. Yet unfortunately it is happening today worldwide to millions of Christians. But as it did in the 1^st century church it has actually strengthened the persecuted church. I recall a conversation I read recently between a Chinese Christian and an American pastor. As the conversation ended the pastor said “I'll be praying the persecution ends for the Christians in China.” The Chinese brother was quick to say, “Oh no, don't pray for that. Pray the Lord gives us courage and strength through it. Persecution keeps the church strong.”

In the 1500s an Englishman named John Foxe wrote a book known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs. It recounts in vivid and chilling detail the histories of Christians who refused to deny their faith in Christ after given the choice to deny and go free or refuse and face torture and death. Many refused to deny Christ and paid a horrific price. The tortures inflicted on them were so barbarous and cruel they could only have been conceived in the mind of Satan. I made it to page 30 and was so distressed at the monstrously evil treatment of these believers that I had to lay the book aside. It shames me to admit I believe it was more due to conviction than horror. Would I be able to choose my faith over denial and face fiendish torture?

There were more Christians martyred in the 20^th century than all other centuries combined. The exact number cannot be known but it is in the millions. I read recently that 75% of the world's nations are hostile to religions and especially to Christianity. Right now Christian men, women, and children are the most persecuted group in the world. The Middle East is a particular hotbed of hatred toward believers. 

Many are being slaughtered for their faith. A case in point is the May 26, 2017 article in the Los Angeles Times of the massacre of 28 Coptic Christians by masked Muslim gunmen in Minya province, Egypt. The Christians were taking two buses to a monastery to pray. They were blocked on the road by the gunmen who made them get off the bus. They told the Christians to deny Christ and recite the Shahaba (Testimony of Faith) and become Muslims. They all refused. Some had their throats slit and others were shot in the head. The perpetrators then shot up the buses and sped away. Sadly the persecution and slaughter goes on to this day in many nations around the world, mostly unreported by the press. I can understand why a biased Media barely mentions it but why is the free and autonomous Christian church silent? Why no outcry?

I have been wondering of late if intense persecution of the church might happen here in America? There are already suspicion and hatred of Christians (especially Evangelicals) in this country distorted and aggravated through press, TV news, and Hollywood anti-Christian agendas. Watching the current news and seeing how some local, state, and federal agencies are using the courts in their twisted mandates to block and persecute Christians for refusing to violate Biblical beliefs, seems like the writing on the wall. I can foresee churches being attacked, and then Christians. And with open anti-Semitism on the rise even in our Congress, the Jews? God forbid! The founder of the Proclaiming Justice to the Nations network (PJTN), Laurie Cardoze-Moore, reports that in 2017 anti-Semitism and violence against Jews had risen 45% in college campuses.

You might be thinking there is no way anything like that can happen here in America. Right? The mindset of many today, just not Millennials, reject the existence of the God of the Bible. Therefore why obey Biblical commandments if He does not exist? They won't. As our Lord says “If they [the world] obeyed My teachings they will obey yours.” There are elements today that are working to undermine the values of the Judeo-Christian ethic. This Biblical precept was and is the foundation of our western civilization and our Republic's Constitutional form of government. Our Constitution has remained relevant after 230 years and remains the best constitutional form of government in the history of the world. The power in the Constitution is to protect the American people from government tyranny and the Bill of Rights guarantees our freedom that is derived from God, not the state. Already elected to Congress for the first time in U.S. history are two Muslim women who are openly and vocally anti-Semitic. Both are members of the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement (BDS). This movement is a global campaign promoting various forms of boycott of our strong and democratic ally Israel. Both women have already condemned Israel for various reasons that deny the facts. On her first day as a Congresswoman one of them referred to the president (and the office) with the most vile epithet and threat. 

Even at this moment Democrats on the far Left in the 86th Texas legislative session have gotten on the offense in the traditional conservative stronghold. They are in the process of introducing  a number of proposed "sexual orientation and gender identity" laws (SOGI) that would attack people of faith. These laws are so anti-God and religion that many outside the Left are tagging them as "Ban the Bible" laws. It doesn't mean confiscating physical Bibles (yet) but it does mean something worse; stripping Texans of their right to practice biblical teachings in their day to day lives. Already the Society For Human Resource Management writes that as early as 2015 22 states had banned sexual orientation and/or gender identity bias. This information ought to galvanize Christians to contact their senators with concerns of being unable to practice their religious liberty without fear of reprisal.  Numerous bills seek to force by law people of faith to conform to far-Left leaning policies that violate their freedom of conscience to practice their faith without fear of retaliation. Those who do not conform could face fines, possible jail time, or other criminal charges (James Wesolek, Federalist.com, 2/1/2019, Society For Human Resource Management, 7/28/2015).

In touching on the rejection of God and His moral values, speaker and author Dennis Prager, a self-professed practicing Jew, speaks often about the devaluing of the Judeo-Christian ethic and how it has affected the moral view of today's generation. In speaking in the past 30 years he has continued to ask high school and college age students the same question, “If you are at the ocean and a stranger and your dog are drowning which one would you save?” He said in all the years he's been asking that question 2/3rds have said they would save the dog over the human being. Why? “Because I love my dog and I don't know what the stranger would do.” Prager also said that he has noted more and more adults choosing to save the dog over the human too. The values and consciences of this current generation are seared against God (1^st Timothy 4:2), His attributes, and the God-endowed sanctity of life. Today the value of an animal over a human being is a premium. Because we are made in God's image (Genesis 1:26) the value of human life is far and above superior to the life of animals. That news will make some people furious, some to the point of sending me death threats, and I speak from experience. I've even received death wishes from children! Don't get me wrong. I love animals and always have. But however cute and smart they are I would always choose saving a God-given human life over an animal because according to Judeo-Christian teaching the sanctity of human life is reverent and holy.

And in the same vein if persecution does come to the American church let's pray Christ will give us strength and trust, anchored in an unshakable faith. And let's remember to pray for our brother's and sisters under the boot of tyranny and torture for their faith daily. Pray they receive strength to endure. I read a phrase on growingchristians.org that sums it all up: “I believe the Church persecuted will be the Church glorified when Christ's body on earth is united with her Head in heaven.” Let that be our prayer. It alone is our highest hope.

Ken