Yay Persecution!

 I wrote last week that one of the great gifts Constantine gave Christians was for believers to no longer fear for their lives because of their faith.  While that allowed Christianity to flourish around the world faster and farther than it had before, and I think it is fair to say that while most Christians truly believed and followed Jesus, the political machine that was built quickly became something else.  But this freedom to worship did come with a cost for everyday believers.

In Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, Kenneth Bailey relates that, when Communism fell in the Soviet republics and Christianity became legal again, the Church had a gating question to new priests: “When were you baptized?”  If it was before the fall of the USSR, they were immediately acceptable.  If it was after, there was a much longer process.  The theory was, if they were willing to risk their lives for their faith, no other questions needed to be asked.  

I’m sure we all know the origin of the “Jesus Fish”, the secret code that helped believers recognize one another.  One person would draw one arc ( and the other would draw the second, ) and between the two, you had a fish.  Anyone not knowing the “secret handshake” was dangerous.  Revealing one’s faith could result in imprisonment and death, as Peter, Paul, James and countless others found.  

In America today, many Christians lament the “oppression” of the Church, as if the corruption, bigotry, sexual assault and myriads of other scandals that pervade it do not warrant some kind of pushback.  But Jesus said “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account (Matthew 5:11-12).”  Emphasis on “falsely”.  

That verse is followed by “rejoice and be glad”.  This is not to say we seek out pain.  Jesus did not revel in being nailed to the Cross.  Hebrews 12:2 says, “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  

Now, many Christians will say that we need to be bold for Christ and welcome persecution that comes.  However, almost without fail, Jesus and his followers shown spreading the Gospel, do so only to people there to hear a sermon.  The two exceptions to this are when Paul gets stoned and nearly dies (twice) because he did not respect the boundaries and expectations of his audience.

Jesus himself warned not to cast pearls before swine, that is, not to insist on spreading the Gospel where it was not welcome.  Paul has that vision in Acts where just after the Holy Spirit prevents him from going to Asia (Turkey), he is called to Macedonia.  The Holy Spirit prevented him from going to preach where he would not be effective.  He greatly desired to get to Spain.  He never did.  “Preach the Gospel always.  When necessary use words” is attributed to Francis of Assisi.  I like 1 Peter 3:15, always be ready to give a reason for the hope you have, but do so with gentleness and respect.  Being ready to give a reason, I believe, means acting in such a loving way that people stop and ask you, “Why are you doing this?”

Persecution, for many American Christians, is that dirty look or harsh word we get when we say “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy Holidays”; that reprimand we get at work for saying a prayer, including Jesus’ name, in the company meeting, or the public school coach gets fired from his job when he huddles his team up for a prayer.  

So first of all, I think American Christians have no idea what being persecuted for our faith really looks like.  If you want to be persecuted for being bold for Christ, go preach in China.  Second of all, when a coach does get fired, this is not a time to whine and complain that we ought to be a Christian Nation. It is a time to rejoice (see Matt 5:11-12 above).  And third, I suspect that forcing our beliefs on someone without being in a loving relationship with that person is antithetical to what Jesus’ teaching.  1 Corinthians 13:1-3 would seem to agree:  

“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to the flames that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”

The word "ichthys", fish in Greek, was an acronym for Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior. One thing that may be lost in today's world of buying magnetic Jesus Fish is that the symbol itself, the original secret handshake, required two people coming together in community to complete Jesus' name. I know I can do better finding ways to share my faith with my friends who need it. In love. With gentleness and respect.