Answers to Tough Questions
about Persecution
What is persecution?
Christ's followers are persecuted all over the world simply for what they believe.
Christians in over 60 countries face the realities of discrimination in education and employment, harassment, family division, dispossession of their homes, beatings, rape, torture, mutilation, imprisonment, slavery and even death.
As Paul Marshall describes persecution in his book, Their Blood Cries Out: "This plague affects two hundred million people, with an additional four hundred million suffering from discrimination and legal impediments."
When we use the term 'Persecuted Church,' the word 'Church' refers to people who have chosen Jesus Christ as Lord in their lives.
The word 'Persecuted' refers to suffering like that listed above.
Is persecution of Christians new?
Christian persecution can be traced to Christianity's beginnings. Jesus Christ himself was 'martyred' on a cross, and the early church faced widespread, severe persecution and martyrdom.
While Jesus was on earth, he bore witness to the battle between God's Kingdom and the temporal kingdoms of earth. He said this tension would sometimes result in physical harm, discrimination and even death for his followers.
Jesus said: "No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also" (John 15:20).
Modern day persecution is well documented.
Don't we have enough persecution in western democratic countries to worry about?
There are times when Christians are marginalised, discriminated against or even limited in the full expression of their faith. But as serious as these incidents may be, we must be careful not to equate them with the horrors facing Christians in other lands who suffer arrest, torture, imprisonment, enslavement, and even death because of their faith.
We live in a nation that provides freedom of religion, and we should be grateful for the blessings we enjoy.
We must be careful not to minimise the persecution of our fellow Christians around the world.
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Christians are clearly called to seek justice and to engage in acts of compassion (Zech 7:9, Luke 11:42, Matt 25).
In the New Testament, we are commanded to show mercy to those who are suffering, especially to the household of faith (Gal 6:10 and 1 Cor 12:26-27).
God can work good out of any and all circumstances. He can use cancer to confront someone with his or her own mortality and to bring that person to faith in Christ, for instance, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't seek to treat cancer.
Persecution is evil. It is a sin on the part of persecutors that should be denounced while at the same time we should pray for their salvation.
Throughout history Christianity has sometimes grown tremendously after periods of persecution, but we need to keep in mind that this is not always the case. The persecuted church is not always strong and pure, and persecution can lead to a church that is divided, demoralised, compromised and embittered.
We must be careful not to romanticise persecution.
Don't Christians sometimes bring persecution on themselves by their actions or unorthodox beliefs?
Perhaps. However, persecution of Christians is ingrained in the legal systems of many nations and endemic to many cultures. In these countries, it is rarely provoked by individual actions.
Even if Christians may sometimes act unwisely and make mistakes by going to excess with, say, overly loud worship services or embracing unorthodox beliefs, this does not justify brutal oppression.
We can defend the right of people to practise their faith without also defending everything they say and do.
Is
it appropriate for Christians to speak to their governments on this issue?
Yes. God has ordained governments as a mechanism for dispensing justice. In much of the world where people enjoy the relative freedoms of a democratic system, citizens are given the power and responsibility to hold their leaders accountable for national values.
When facing persecution from religious leaders for preaching the gospel, the Apostle Paul invoked his Roman citizenship and demanded a hearing before the political leaders in Rome. Today, we have several means to do this as most countries have made commitments to some form of religious freedom.
As a member of the global community, we can urge adherence to international human rights agreements, such as the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights which guarantees the right to religious freedom. It is important to note, however, that numerous countries that signed that declaration continue to persecute Christians.