The Book of Acts records the martyr deaths of Stephen (Acts 7) and
James (Acts 12). Stories are told of other apostles and disciples who were
imprisoned and threatened with death. The account of Saul, later Paul, is
recorded in his initial fight against the church and then after his conversion
his own sufferings at the hands of Jews and non Jews. In later decades the churches
of Smyrna and Pergamum both felt the fires of persecution and martyrdom of
members as recorded in Revelation 2.
Others report
the persecutions experienced by Christians during the first centuries of church
history. At first it was pagan against Christian, then it became in too many
instances Christian against Christian. It wasn’t enough others rejected and
refused to tolerate the doctrines of the Christian faith. Belief had to be the
same and subject to the same authority or persecution, even death, was the
result.
Religion has
carried with its best of traits through the millennia the terrible shadow of
violent intolerance. The ability to disagree agreeably has often been
sacrificed in the effort to prove truth through force of arms. The innocent
have died. The seekers of truth have been rejected. Might never proved right,
only who had the sharper sword or bigger gun or lowest value for human life.
We have
called them crusades, removal of infidels and barbarians, and elimination of
the defiled. Whatever the title the result was blood being shed in the name of
divine truth as if the divine needed human hands to remove the stain of
disbelief.
The
Judeo-Christian tradition contains the idea the Divine will take care of
disbelief in his own way without human assistance. In the first book of the
Bible, God confronts a world that has lost all sense of divine morality and
justice. His answer is the great flood and the saving of mankind through the
life of the one righteous man that could be found, Noah.
In the last
book of the Bible, the Revelation of John, we find the image of the Great
Judgment. The followers of Jesus Christ the Son of God are given the gift of
eternal life in glory and those who reject his Lordship are cast away from God
into eternal separation and the accompanying suffering.
Humanity has
not changed over the centuries nor has its sins. In recent centuries we have
seen Catholics battle Protestants, Muslims battle Christians, Hindus battle
Christians and Muslims, and dozens of other smaller groups found themselves
brutalized by groups who disagreed with their religious beliefs.
Without doubt
the guilt of religious brutality lies at the feet of those extremists who feel
they alone are right and carry the authority to eliminate any who disagree.
Guilt also lies with others, however. That guilt lies with those who claim to
believe in a way of peace and co-existence but remain silent. We cannot fight
against the weapons of Satan with the weapons of Satan, but that must not keep
us from raising our voices in protest and going into the conflict with hands of
compassion and healing.
We as Christians
follow the Prince of Peace. We are called to pray for those who persecute us
and return good for evil. We are to share the One who is the Way, the Truth,
and the Life, the only One who is able to offer eternal salvation. We don’t
need to apologize for believing He spoke the Truth and is the only Truth, but
our efforts to share the Truth with others must be done in his nature.
Sunday,
November 1 is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. These
Christians who are going to prison, being tortured, or killed for their faith
are not strangers in some foreign land. They are our brothers and sisters in
the Family of God. We cannot defend them with the weapons of Satan: anger,
hatred, and brutality. We must meet such actions with compassion, love,
forgiveness, and restoration in ways that honor the Prince of Peace we serve.
No one said it would be the easy way, but it is the way of Jesus.
