As a marketer, I am privileged to work with several charities on a regular basis. In order to help them “tell their story” better and increase awareness and support for their cause, I have the opportunity to immerse myself in their ministries. Lately I have been reading heavily on the topic of the persecuted church. I’ve been reviewing the different organizations that are shining a light on this issue and are doing great things to help our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world.
Much of the surface language is about the pain and suffering of the persecuted church. When you dig a little deeper however, a few give you a real glimpse of their “theology of persecution”. This is the good stuff and reading it has shifted my mindset about persecution – how we should view it, what the Bible actually says about it, and what that means for me as a Canadian Christian.
Recently I posted a quote from Glenn Penner of Voice of the Martyrs on facebook, and followed it up with the question “Why aren’t we persecuted in Canada?”. There were several, varied comments so I decided to try unpack it further here. The article I quoted from was titled “Is the Blood of the Martyrs Really the Seed of the Church?” and in that context, Penner states that in fact the answer is; not always. Consistent persecution does not always grow the church. Instead, he turns the table on the concept with this statement:
“Will persecution make us better Christians? Perhaps. It seems to me, however, that the witness of scripture and the testimony of today’s persecuted Church is better reflected in the phrase, “Better Christians tend to produce persecution.”
Some of the respondents took issue with the quote and wanted a clearer definition of “better”. I understand their apprehension to declare anyone “better” but I believe Penner is challenging us to consider what makes a Christian real or true. What he’s really saying is that when the church is growing, and Christians are faithfully proclaiming the gospel, persecution is inevitable. In cultures where the persecution is most public, making a decision to follow Christ is a decidedly counter-culture decision. Few make it without knowing the consequences. They are literally taking up their cross, from day one. Does that make them better than me? Not in the sense that they’re more valuable, or smarter or have achieved something greater. We all need God’s grace. Without it, none are deserving. And yet, I can’t shake the feeling that I have something to learn from them.
Others made great points about actual persecution in an increasingly secular Canadian culture. It’s true that in the name of tolerance, we are tolerated less. In the name of equality, we are being called bigots. I have no doubt that Christianity is under attack in Canada, but what are we doing about it? I’m not talking about political activism here (though we should also fight for justice). I think the reason we aren’t persecuted MORE is because we retreat. We see the potential costs and we flee to our safe, like-minded communities and we feel righteous and indignant as we talk about holding strong in this struggle – but are we really struggling?
Consider this quote, also from Penner in a different article entitled “A Biblical Theology of Persecution and Discipleship”:
“Contrary to the Western belief that it is a blessing not to be persecuted, they knew that it was the persecuted who are blessed (Matthew 10-12). Rather than following the common Western practice of thanking God for the privilege of living in a free country where we do not suffer for Him, the early Christians thanked God for the honor of suffering for His sake (Acts 5:41). They knew that in order to bring life to others, they must die; to see others experience peace with God, they would have to suffer the violence of the world; to bring the love of God to a dying world, they would have to face the hatred of those whom they were seeking to reach.”
This quote struck me deeply.
I have heard and prayed those very words myself. I realize we live in a different time and place than those early Christians. We live far enough away from many of the present-day regimes that inflict open, government-sanctioned persecution on Christians. The fact that we are blessed with prosperity and freedom is not a reason to feel guilt, but to praise God. So is it fair to compare their situation with ours? Is it fair to point the finger at ourselves and say, “if God warns us that when we follow him, we WILL be persecuted, why aren’t we?” Is it really because we live in a civil society, or is our complacency for the saving grace of the gospel what’s actually holding persecution at bay?
I’m not advocating that we openly invite ridicule and needless persecution on ourselves by being ignorant and abrasive to everyone we meet. And yet, I do feel a conviction that I am too comfortable. I am too willing to hide in my faith community, safe from being challenged for believing something that now puts me in the minority in my country. I am afraid. Even in the process of wrestling with this topic, I feel the pull of apathy or the willingness to trivialize their suffering into some pious explanation of something God allows and uses, SOMEWHERE ELSE.
I don’t have all the answers, and if I’m honest, I really don’t want to be persecuted – at all! I’m going to continue to read and reflect on this topic, but I am sure of one thing: I will never view persecution the same way. I will no longer look at my persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ and feel only pity. I will try to imagine their pain as if it were my own, but I will also see God at work in them. I will learn from them and hold them up as an example and pray that if I ever experience the privilege of persecution, he might give me grace to view it that way.
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November is persecution awareness month, and November 13 is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. I will post again on this topic with resources for churches and individuals to learn more. For now, I recommend the book “The Privilege of Persecution” by Dr. Carl A. Moeller and David W. Hegg. I’ve only ready the first “free” chapter, but hope to complete it in the coming months.
Josh, I dig this topic. The idea of persecution, and the justification for or against it, is a (too) long-standing discussion for Western Christians, and I’m enjoying reading along as you explore it deeper. I fully agree that it has a deeply-rooted place in our identities as disciples of Jesus, and that persecution is a response to our fulfilling of that identity.
That said, it seems like there’s an important question being overlooked, so far, in your writings, and that is:
For what should we be persecuted?
A few things you’ve touched on circle that question: the concept of “fully proclaiming the gospel”, “following God”, Christianity being “under attack”, fighting for justice or hiding in our “like-minded communities”, toleration, equality, etc. Which of these is the real answer? All? Some? One?
To me, part of the quote you mentioned sheds good light on the answer:
“They knew that in order to bring life to others, they must die; to see others experience peace with God, they would have to suffer the violence of the world; to bring the love of God to a dying world, they would have to face the hatred of those whom they were seeking to reach.”
This is just my opinion, but I feel like for Western Christians, persecution is about Our Voice, and the reaction to the things we feel we must say. The mentality is, if we’re saying the right things – whether that’s on behalf of God, our community of believers, the Judeo-Christian morality/value system, or in defense of “the faith” – then we will get blowback, the heat will be turned up, and the fan will be filthy. Boom – persecution.
But I take objection to that. Are we called, as disciples of Jesus and a reflection of our Master, to be using Our Voice for ourselves? To use our voice in a political/societal/moral battle against a society that does not embrace the heart of God, and therefore doesn’t reflect it? I think we’re going about it in reverse.
The quote above is the essence of Isaiah 58 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+58&version=NIV), a full and vivid description of our mission in this world. Instead of Our Voice being used for ourselves and the condemnation arises from things we say to the world, Our Voice should be used on behalf of those without a voice. It is by freeing the yoked and enslaved (whether that is physical, mental, spiritual, or other forms of imprisonment) that we will be acceptable to the Lord: “You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.” Furthermore, if we are speaking and acting on behalf of the broken, weak, poor, I believe we will then see what persecution is. We will also be broken down, beat up, witness and hear horrible things, and see and experience some desperate situations. It won’t necessarily be a shoe thrown at us at a rally, a hateful email or tweet, or a smear campaign on a community member (though these are all rough and possible outcomes), but it’ll also be the lasting imprint that the sin and evil of this world leaves on us.
The benefits of it are equally as true and powerful. We will rescue those who never thought there was hope or even knew there was another option – sex abuse victims, folks with no means of their own, hungry kids, people trapped in destructive lifestyles, the lonely, the self-indulgent, slaves to religions – and God’s glory will be seen. I think that the people who we are “defending the faith” against will be some of the very same people who we could end up showing that there is a pure and everlasting alternative to. To me, that is such a more satisfying and glorious answer! I’m much more willing to get beat up or killed trying to redeem people back to Christ than I am to take heat over words which only serve to alienate those I’m wanting to redeem.
I suppose I should add, to summarize and attempt to answer this post’s question: the reason we (Christians) are not persecuted in Canada is because we are not putting ourselves in the line of fire of those that are being persecuted.
A friend left a great comment on facebook and to keep everything together, I’m adding it here on her behalf:
I have also been very challenged by reading books about martyrs worldwide, as have our kids. Just putting a different question out there for consideration: what do you make of the verses in Acts where it speaks of the early church being held in esteem by all, so much so that nobody dared to approach them? (Acts 5:12-16) and the charge to live peaceable with all people, so long as it is up to us (Hebrews 12:14) Is persecution the only possible outcome of living out our faith? Or is it possible to be held in esteem, so that even though they do not agree with us, they cannot help but praise our Father when they see our works?
Thank you both for your comments, and for giving much more food for thought.
Adam, I like where you took this question. Thanks for pointing me to Isaiah 58. I agree that we can get caught up in the intellectual idea of defending the faith while ignoring our call to take care of those who are in distress. I do think both are important (service and public discourse), and both open us up to a world of discomfort, but stronger faith.
In regards to the other commenter, I definitely agree we need to be peaceful and I don’t think we should measure our “worth” as Christians on the amount of persecution we encounter. Far from it. Persecution does not make us heroes, it glorifies Christ.
I just find that in the name of civility we sometimes lose the hard-hitting counter-culture message of the gospel. The world is doomed, but Christ has won the battle. This is the good news but it’s not all warm and fuzzy. At some point, the Word will either open our eyes or cause us to stumble (1 Peter 2:6-8, Romans 1:21). We can be peaceful and highly regarded, but when the conversation goes deep, and personal, it will either delight or offend. There’s no real in between. Either Christ was who he said he was, or he was a madman.
I haven’t studied the passage in Acts 5 deeply enough to know exactly what the phrase you mention means, but I wonder if high esteem was both respect and fear. They knew there was something different and special and that made them cautious. The text goes on to talk about many coming to the faith, and then further, it goes into the persecution of the apostles. It appears to me that many of those who held them in high regard were converted, and some of the others ended up persecuting them.
The fear to join the church in Acts 5:12 can probably be explained in the previous passage where Ananias and Sapphira fall dead at the feat of the apostles when their sin is exposed. This incident caused fear in the hearts of all who heard it. (vs: 5,11)
Josh, considering that historically persecution has been relative rare and geographically scattered, i.e., the majority of the faithful never experience it, it’s hard to take your first quote from Penner seriously.
I disagree Pete. I don’t think persecution has been historically rare at all. I think it’s more rampant and widespread worldwide today, and historically than maybe we’ve realized. It hasn’t always been government-sanctioned policy, but it has been around since Christ, and the more I read, the more I see that it has ALWAYS been around, and will always be. I think the Western countries that were founded with freedom of religion are the exception in history. And as others have stated, persecution is growing here too.