Persecution

Let me make a clear statement to begin: I am a Christian who has not personally experienced persecution. (This might reasonably be the point where you stop reading.)

Some years ago I was thinking about the ‘Western’ church versus the non-Western church. It seemed to me that one of the missing ingredients in the experience of the Western church was persecution. By the Western church I mean Western European, American, Canadian, New Zealand and Australian churches. Now some Western European churches have experienced persecution – under the Nazis for example and during the French revolution. Some churches in the USA have experienced genuine, deadly persecution due to racism – by other Christians. There have also been attacks by Islamic extremists in contemporary times. But generally the Western church’s experience of persecution has been self-inflicted: Roman Catholics killing Protestants and Protestants killing Roman Catholics and both groups rounding on Anabaptists and Non-Conformists etc. Arguably the Anglo English-speaking church has never known persecution except the aforementioned. You might make a case for the Vikings but this seems to be more about straight forward plundering, raiding and invasion than oppression for wrong-think or wrong-ultimate-allegiance.

So what to do about persecution?

I can see it coming at the Western church like a runaway freight train and I wish, I so wish, I could avoid it. In fact it’s already here in all sorts of ways. I see many Christian organisations and individual Christians trying to fight what seems to be inevitable, and perhaps even normal for Christians, but this fight always seems to take the church into the sewer of politics and political lobbying and seems drenched in idolatry. And I admit I’ve been in that sewer and may even go back there. But what to do, or not do? Here are some thoughts (that are not answers):

• Pray
• Fast – from food, none of that I’m going without social media for a week stuff (as good as that is).
• Repent
• Pray and fast
• Fast and pray
• Repent
• Pray some more
• Fast some more
• Repent some more
• Devour the scriptures
• Stop boasting
• Be really, really humble
• Practice and share our faith but refrain from protecting our faith.
• Consider how much stuff we have, and who we could give it to, if we don’t really, really need it.
• Say no to revenge in any way, no matter how mild.
• Love and do good – a lot – always – regardless if anyone notices or not.
• Fast again
• Pray again
• Repent again
• Stay in fellowship with other believers even if they are likely to betray us.
• Be merciful with apostates – how do we know we won’t end up the same?
• Keep doing life regardless
• Keep praying
• Keep fasting
• Keep repenting
• Keep loving
• Keep doing good

See you all on the other side.

© The Grumpy Old Dilettante, 2021