Global persecution is a fact of life

The narrow way of discipleship:
a gorge (chine) in the Isle of Wight

I am writing this at Epiphany (early January), which in the church calendar celebrates the first manifestation of Christ to non-Jews (the wise men who followed the star to the infant Jesus). It concludes a fascinating fortnight in the calendar. Because apart from Christmas day, a series of commemorations all focusing on suffering and death follow each other in quick succession.

December 26 remembers Stephen, the first Christian martyr (Acts 6,7). The next day recalls John the apostle, exiled for his faith to the island of Patmos. Then on 28^th the Holy Innocents are recalled, the toddlers slaughtered by Herod in his quest to eliminate his supposed rival as king of the Jews. Epiphany comes on January 6, after which the wise men had to find a fresh route home to avoid the unwelcome attention of the paranoid Herod. There are some minor saints in between, including the reformer John Wycliffe (December 31) who didn’t suffer martyrdom but did incur strong opposition to his theological views.

Whether by accident or design, the ancient designation of saints’ days, drawn up long before Christmas became a three-month commercial fiesta, convey an important truth. They remind us that the baby in the manger “did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34) – not deliberately as an aggressor but by default as the purveyor of a radical message and lifestyle that would divide communities and invite hostility.

While there have been some well-reported court cases in which some Christians have alleged discrimination on the part of their employers (and all but one were dismissed by the courts), there are far more less-reported cases of real persecution seeping into public awareness.

In October 2013, The Spectator magazine published a lengthy article headed “The war on Christians” which quoted research showing that 11 Christians are “killed somewhere in the world every hour, seven days a week and 365 days a year, for reasons related to their faith. In effect, the world is witnessing a rise of an entire new generation of Christian martyrs.”¹

And in December, Tony Baldry MP, who speaks in the House of Commons for the Church of England, said that “200 million Christians today are at threat of persecution, loss of their faith, livelihoods, homes and even their lives. This is not acceptable.”² While many of the attacks on individuals and churches are in the Middle East, Burma, Nigeria, North Korea, Congo, Eritrea, Indonesia, and Pakistan have all witnessed significant violent attacks on Christians in recent years. The Spectator article suggests discrimination against Christians in some form took place in 139 countries between 2006 and 2010.

There are two practical responses to this. One is that Christians who enjoy considerable freedom could be finding out about, praying for, and perhaps through various agencies supporting, their less fortunate brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. The other is to take seriously the Bible’s teaching about what Jesus called “the narrow path”, the sometimes lonely route of discipleship that may result in hardship and sacrifice. There are some Bible passages to study below.

Think and talk

1.  Some Christians have alleged persecution because they have been disciplined for (say) refusing to work on Sundays or remove a lapel cross from their work uniform. Other Christians, however, are content to take their turn on shifts and do not feel the need to advertise their faith with a badge. Discuss the principles that might apply to such situations, using such contrasting passages as Luke 9:23-26 and 1 Peter 2:13-17.

2.  Read Paul’s catalogue of his sufferings in 2 Corinthians 6:3-10 and 11:22-33. Make separate lists of the voluntary sacrifices or consequential deprivations made for the sake of his mission, and the unsought aggression and persecution by opponents of his message. Then read again Luke 9:23-26 and also Matthew 7:13,14. What does discipleship inevitably involve? To what extent do you reflect more of your contemporaries’ non-Christian lifestyle than that envisaged by Christ?

3.  Jesus frequently warned his disciples that they would face persecution. Read, for example, Matthew 10:17-35 and 24:4-14. What are the causes of antagonism towards Christians? In what ways might we minimise these without compromising our faith?

4.  There are a number of agencies working with Christians who face hardship or opposition in various parts of the world. One is Christian Solidarity Worldwide (http://www.csw.org.uk/home.htm). Why not discover more about the suffering church, share the stories in a group and pray for both Christians and their oppressors? At the same time, think about the issues of religious freedom generally; we cannot ask for Christians what we are not prepared to offer to others.

References

1.  John Allen, “The war on Christians”, The Spectator 5 October 2013
2.  Reported on the BBC website, 3 December 2013

© Derek Williams 2014