Tagged: Persecution RSS

  • Mark 8:57 am on March 30, 2009 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: christian science monitor, evangelicalism, michael spencer, Persecution   

    No One Dared to Join Them… 

    Just read an article on the coming Evangelical collapse in America.  I am both relieved and filled with anxiety as I read Michael Spencer’s words.  He depicts with such clarity the “costly” mistake of evangelicals identifying with social and political conservatism: in the next ten years, thousands of ministry and churches closing, a society-wide embrace of Post-Christian secularism, and a major tide in cultural antagonism toward evangelical Christianity as America begins to view conservative Christians as enemies to social progress.

    Will this happen?  Who knows for sure.  I do know that at some level, Evangelicals deserve it.  Though I don’t primarily identify myself as an Evangelical (especially in the popular sense of the word) there is a lot about the movement I agree with (the gospel is something to be shared, Bible is central to understanding our faith, etc).  And yet I can’t help but say this coming collapse is “deserved.”

    Evangelicals have squandered their massive influence on America, with refusing to creatively engage the culture and instead creating a Christian sub-culture (with radio stations, bookstores and the like) and when Christians DO engage their surrounding world, its sort of reminds me of little the little kid that would throw a snowball at a passing car, only to return to his little group of cronies to talk about brave he was.

    Pickets for “pro-life” and anti-gay marriage protests are not going to bring the Kingdom of God.  This sort of change in culture is not what Jesus wanted, or he would have been a politician.  Instead, he was a storyteller, an actor, a healer, a teacher, and a revolutionary.  I don’t think he’d join a cause, he WAS a cause, him and his followers.

    In Acts 5:13, Luke says, “But no one else dared to join them, even though all the people had high regard for them.” What’s up with that?  Almost like everyone appreciated the progress in society these early Christians were fighting/dying for, but few people had the guts to join ranks with them.  Isn’t this the opposite of today?

    For those reading this and are not Christians, I’m sorry for the way we as Christians have misrepresented Christ.  I’m sorry for how I’ve misrepresented him. For those who are followers, let’s really get out there and FOLLOW!  I want to move beyond argumentative Christianity, and then I want to move past cynicism and despair, and live in the adventure of the Christ-movement in North America!

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  • Mark 3:20 pm on May 22, 2007 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Persecution   

    Children in China Stand Strong 

    Joel News continues to inspire! Read this article below about the commitment of Chinese children to their LORD:

    Sister Jing, who has taught children and trained Sunday school teachers all over China, shared the following inspiring account how children in one province in China stood firm in their faith when they were arrested by officials.

    chineskids.jpgSunday school was in full swing for more than 30 children when the sound of vehicles interrupted the class. Before the children even had time to put away their books, public Security Bureau officers burst into the room, confiscated ‘incriminating evidence’, and unceremoniously herded the children into a van.

    By now the children knew what was happening. Their teachers had warned them it might happen one day and had taught them what to do. Now their time of testing had come.

    As the van sped toward the police station, the children clung together to steady themselves. Then one child started singing. Before long, the van was filled with song as all the children enthusiastically joined in – much to the annoyance of the officials in the van.

    Upon arrival at the police station, the children marched bravely into the interrogation room still singing, “In the name of Jesus, we have the victory.”

    This was not the cowering group of children the police interrogator had anticipated! He began to threaten the children, telling them they would have to write “I do not believe in Jesus” one hundred times before he would release them. Instead, the defiant children wrote, “I believe in Jesus today. I will believe in Jesus tomorrow. I will believe in Jesus forever!”

    Unprepared for such a strong stand from young school children, the officials weren’t sure how to respond. In exasperation, they called the children’s parents. When the parents arrived, they were told the children would be released only if the parents said they were not Christians. Because many of the parents were not believers, they readily affirmed they didn’t believe in Jesus and took their children home.

    But when a widowed believer came to pick up her twin sons, she refused to deny Jesus. The officers threatened her, “If you do not deny Jesus, we will not release your sons!” Unshaken, the widow replied, “Well, I guess you will just have to keep them, because without Jesus, there would be no way for me to take care of them!” Exasperated by continued, unexpected resistance to their threats, the officials said in disgust, “Take your sons and go!”

    We thank God for stories like this because we know that children are the future of the Church.

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    • miller 8:25 pm on May 22, 2007 Permalink

      dude, thanks for this testimony!

      would that we were all so strong…

      peace

    • Billy 8:15 am on May 23, 2007 Permalink

      Wow great story. Thanks for sharing. I need to forward this to Pam.

      billy

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