Is It Déja Vu? The Threat To Hungarian Jews

     For the last few months everyone's focus has been on the Middle East.  Between the marauding barbarism of ISIS and the escalating threat of a nuclear Iran, the world's attention has been centered on the region east of the Mediterranean Sea.  Only the ongoing crisis between Ukraine and Russia has  momentarily distracted us.
     But there is a simmering and ominous hostility growing in Eastern Europe that we must not dismiss.  It is coming from Hungary, a country that we don't hear much about, but which deserves our scrutiny due to news surrounding its political environment.
     There is an increasing popularity among Hungary's youngest voters for a political party called The Movement For A Better Hungary, or Jobbik, as it is more commonly known.  So, why should the world be concerned about Jobbik?  According to Wikipedia, Jobbik is a Hungarian radical nationalist political party. The party describes itself as "a principled, conservative and radically patriotic Christian party", whose "fundamental purpose" was the protection of "Hungarian values and interests." Jobbik describes itself as rejecting "global capitalism", European integration and Zionism.
     Patriotism and Nationalism, by themselves, do not constitute a threat; indeed they can result in a pride that translates into changes for the betterment of any country.  But when they are combined with  strict biases against religions and the full participation of every citizen in the nation, then alarm bells should be going off.
     For their part, Jobbik has rapidly ascended to the second most popular political party in Hungary.  They reject globalized capitalism, and the influence of foreign investors in Hungary.  Jobbik specifically opposes Israeli and Jewish investment in Hungary, even to the point of protesting the World Jewish Congress's choice to locate their annual meeting in Budapest in 2013.
     Then there is the issue of what they call "public order."  The Jobbik Party wants to greatly strengthen the National Police, and they once had strong ties to the Magyar Gárda militia, the paramilitary wing of the Party.  This militia was founded through an "oath of loyalty to Hungary" by its members in August 2007, but was dissolved by the Budapest Tribunal in 2009.

     Their radical nationalistic ideology was well represented in the Party's 2009 election slogan "Hungary belongs to the Hungarians".  But I discern cause for alarm when the editor of a police union newsletter (who was also a recent Jobbik Party candidate for the European Union parliament) prints the following:  "Given our current situation, anti-Semitism is not just our right, but it is the duty of every Hungarian homeland lover, and we must prepare for armed battle against the Jews."
     In November 2012, the party's deputy parliamentary leader, Márton Gyöngyösi, posted a video speech on the Jobbik website in which he stated: "I think such a conflict makes it timely to tally up people of Jewish ancestry who live here, especially in the Hungarian Parliament and the Hungarian government, who, indeed, pose a national security risk to Hungary."
     In 2014, the deputy chairman of one of Jobbik's County organizations, referred to the Holocaust as "holoscam".   And just this week, the Jobbik Party has won its first ever individual constituency seat in parliament.  Considering that 550,000 Hungarian Jews were killed during the Holocaust, how would you feel if you were one of the 100,000 Jews currently living in Hungary?  Even though you constitute the largest Jewish community in Eastern Europe, would you feel safe?
     Or would you feel that you were experiencing déja vu?  Does anyone else see shades of the nationalist German movement that resulted in Nazism?  Like the Nazi Party, the Jobbik Party opposes capitalism, and appears to resent the success and participation of Jewish businesses.  And the suggestion by the Jobbik Party that Jews and those of Jewish ancestry be "tallied" is too close to the Nazi sentiment which called for a united Greater Germany that would deny citizenship to Jews or those of Jewish descent.  Will they soon institute the wearing of a yellow Star of David to identify all Hungarian Jews?  Plus. who can deny the similarity of the Jobbik paramilitary wing to the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police whose job it was to investigate treason, espionage, sabotage and criminal attacks against the German state?
     For now, the World Jewish Congress is expressing its concerns about the rise of the Jobbik Party in Hungaray, while trying to keep the lines of communication open.  But the resemblance to the rise of Adolph Hitler and the Nazi Party cannot be ignored.  It has only been 75 years since the world chose to turn a blind eye to the popularity of a charismatic leader who proclaimed the need for nationalistic pride and for the eradication of the Jews.   Surely, this time we will not be so slow to condemn the powerful surge of politics that will lead to another Holocaust!  Now is the time to keep the wolf from the door!

Malachi 3:6    "For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed."

The Persecution Stories You Haven't Heard

     I guess it shouldn't surprise us that the following news stories aren't being blasted across the media.  After all, the persecution of Christians is not actually a top concern among the secular crowd. But, I think it is important that everyone realize the severity of the issue.
     The latest religious freedom study from Pew Research shows that Christians and Jews seem to suffer the most in countries around the world.  The problem is getting so bad in the Middle East that a delegation representing Middle East minorities is hoping the United Nations Security Council will soon take action to protect small communities that are undergoing ethnic cleansing by ISIS.
     Then there are the stories coming out of Nigeria that are heart-breaking.  Walid Shoebat's website, Shoebat.com, is reporting of the atrocities against Christians in this West African nation.  In case you are unaware of who he is, Walid Shoebat (in his own words) "used to be a radicalized Muslim willing to die for the cause of Jihad until I converted to Christianity in 1994."  He now refers to himself as an experienced former terrorist, who is committed to renouncing radical Islam and reporting atrocities against fellow Christians around the world.
    Earlier this week, he carried the stories that Muslims in Nigeria, who are all part of the Fulani tribe, ambushed 82 people in a Christian village as they slept in their beds and slaughtered all of them in a new massacre of Christians that the media is not paying any attention to.  Here is the story as reported by The Christian Post:  Fulani Muslim herdsmen killed at least 82 people and injured several more in an attack on 15 March against a mainly Christian village in Agatu, in Nigeria’s central Benue state. Storming the village at around 4 a.m., herdsmen killed anyone in their path and murdered scores of villagers as they slept in their beds.
     “The search for victims and survivors is still ongoing,” said a local resident, “but there is no doubt that the figure may rise because the entire village is like a killing field with the stench of blood everywhere and many still missing”.
     The attackers are thought to be from Loko in neighbouring Nasarawa state. After attacking residents and breaking into their homes, the Fulani herdsmen razed the village to the ground, destroying trees, food barns and farmland.
     Residents in the village are of the predominantly Christian Egba ethnic group. Ethnic Fulani Muslims frequently attack Christian villages across Nigeria, killing residents and burning churches. Christians in north-eastern Nigeria also suffer attacks from the Islamist insurgency group Boko Haram, which focuses in particular on Christians, Western-style educational institutions and security/political targets.
     Shoebat's website also carried a story by Global News that Muslims in Nigeria, all members of Boko Haram, had kidnapped four hundred people, consisting of women and children, executing 50 of them before leaving the village.  Here is the official story:  Militant Islamist group Boko Haram kidnapped more than 400 women and children from the northeastern Nigeria town of Damasak, according to a report in the wake of the town being freed by armed forces from neighbouring Chad and Niger earlier this month.
     “They took 506 young women and children. They killed about 50 of them before leaving,” Reuters quoted local trader Souleymane Ali saying. “We don’t know if they killed others after leaving, but they took the rest with them.”
     According to Reuters, there has been no official Nigerian government confirmation of how many people may have been kidnapped from the town.
     Damasak became a ghost of what it was before Boko Haram held the town of 200,000 people under siege for five months, according to the New York Times.
     So, why haven't we heard here in the West of these atrocities?  I guess it's understandable when you consider that most of the media is godless and uninterested in faith issues.  But isn't the genocide of entire groups of people -- regardless of faith or nationality -- newsworthy?
     And what about those Christians who are in the national spotlight?  Why aren't they calling more attention to the persecution of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ?  Are we not called to intercede on their behalf with prayers and petitions to the throne room of our God?  Without honest and up-to-date reporting, we affluent and comfortable Christians in the West will continue to bask in our naiveté and ignorance.  And that's exactly where the Enemy wants to keep us ... unaware, insensitive, and easily defeated.  We remain so at our own risk.

1 Peter 4:12      "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you."
   

The Modern Era of Christian Martyrs

     If you are interested in the history of the Christian faith, then you are no doubt familiar with Foxe's Book of Martyrs.  Published early in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, (1563) and only five years after the death of the Roman Catholic Queen Mary I, Foxe's Acts and Monuments of these Latter and Perillous Days, Touching Matters of the Church (this was the original title) was an affirmation of the English Reformation in a period of religious conflict between Catholics and the Church of England.

     Although never considered an impartial account of the Protestant Reformation, the book was nevertheless a testimony of Christian martyrdom, and has survived over four centuries to represent the  unmitigated faith of Christians in the face of persecution and death.  The stories of the martyrs begin with the Apostles Peter and Paul; the former who was crucified upside down because he felt he was unworthy to be crucified as His Lord; and the latter who was beheaded on the orders of the Emperor Nero.  We read of the deaths of all the early apostles and disciples (except for John, who nevertheless survived being thrown into a cauldron of burning oil); all were either crucified, stoned, or beheaded.
     The book details the deaths of other Christian martyrs over the next millennia and a half, and it underwent several editions; the latest being the British Academy's funding for a new critical edition in 1984, completed by 2007.  And although the historiography of Foxe's Book of Martyrs is quite valuable, have you ever wondered if such venerated Christian martyrdom is a thing only encountered in the ancient past?  If so, consider this fact:  The ancient nation of Iraq was home to 1.5 million Christians just 10 years ago.  Their number is now under 150,000.
     With that astonishing reality in view, I invite you to read a book by author Tom Doyle, titled Killing Christians: Living the Faith Where Its Not Safe To Believe.  Jim Denison, of ChristianHeadlines.com wrote a meaningful tribute to his friends, Tom and JoAnn Doyle, who are longtime missionaries to the Middle East.  According to the article, Tom's book, Dreams and Visions: Is Jesus Awakening the Muslim World?, tells the incredible story of Muslims worldwide who are meeting Jesus in miraculous ways, including visions and dreams.  As a result of such miracles, more Muslims have come to Christ in the last 15 years than in the previous 15 centuries.
     But now, Tom has written a new book, titled Killing Christians, in which he tells the other side of the story ... the incredible stories of Christians who are willing to die for their faith in the face of unprecedented persecution in the modern world.  Here are just a few examples of their stories:  A believer smuggles Bibles into Somalia by hiding beneath decaying corpses in coffins.  A Christian in Syria, speaking to an underground church, says of their shared faith, "This will cost us our lives.  We will die for this."  He and his friends have already purchased a plot of ground in which to be buried when they are martyred.
     In Baghdad, a Muslim comes to Christ through the kindness of an American soldier who shared his faith and gave him a Bible.  A Christian in Saudi Arabia struggles to understand why her friend Mina was martyred while she was miraculously spared.  She concludes: "Too often, even Christians forget that our faith is not primarily for this life.  It is for the life to come.  We who are still here are the ones who have been left behind.  Our real life has not even begun, but for martyrs like Mina, it has."
     We Western Christians often fail to recognize that Christianity originated in the Middle East amid such persecution.  As a recent CNN article pointed out, "Christianity was born in Bethlehem, in what's now the West Bank. It took root among people like the Assyrians, who flourished in ancient Mesopotamia. It soon found a home in places like modern-day Turkey, Iraq, modern-day Iran, and Syria."  That persecution is as real today as it was when our faith was first founded; and threatens to extinguish it just the same.

     While martyrdom for Western Christians is not even on our radar, we must accept its reality in the rest of the world, and the very real possibility that we will soon face our own crisis of faith.  Although the growth of the Church has leveled off in the West, it is exploding elsewhere in the world; and all amidst the extraordinary stories of Christian martyrdom at the hands of hate-filled extremists like ISIS and Boko Haram.  Rapes, beheadings, and kidnappings are all being carried out against Believers in the Middle East, and a new generation of martyrs is being documented.
     As author Boyle concludes, "Jesus' message of love and reconciliation thrives in a climate where hostility, danger, and martyrdom are present.  Persecution and the spread of the gospel are as inseparable as identical twins...".  So we don't need to read the historical accounts of martyrs such as those found in The Book of Martyrs.  If we need inspiration to strengthen our faith, we have to go no further than the stories of modern martyrs in the Middle East.  Their blood mingles with the blood of the ancient martyrs, as they cry out, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?" Let us add our prayers to their cry, and call on the Lord to return for the sake of us all!

1 Peter 4:16    "But don’t be ashamed if you suffer as one who belongs to Christ. Rather, honor God as you bear Christ’s name. Give honor to God."

God, Evil and Supernatural Power

   

     There is so much rattling around in my head today!  The news media reports the diabolical beheadings of Coptic Christians in Egypt and the escalation of attacks on European Jews, and it appears as if there is no good news on earth, when it comes to our shared faith.  All we see is what is happening before our eyes -- or what we are allowed to see by those who control the media -- and we try to make sense of it according to our Western definition of civility, morality and justice.  Christians in the Middle East endure, suffer for the Faith, and pray for deliverance.
     Meanwhile, I receive an uplifting comment on yesterday's post from a reader who informs us that "Last night at church we had a pastor who has also been a missionary in Egypt tell us about the great number of Muslims who have been converting to Christianity. He said that we won't see this on Fox News -- but that it is huge. They are having visions and dreams and seeing Jesus.  [This is fulfillment of prophecy.]  He said that there are billboards [in the Middle East] that ask Has a white man appeared to you in a dream? Call --- --- ----.  He also said that the behavior of ISIS is also driving many Muslims to Christ."  The commenter then follows up his statement by reporting that Egyptian pastors have visited the church in recent months, confirming these conversions.
     I will admit that I find it curious that Jesus would appear as a white man, since He was a Jew of the tribe of Judah; most likely Middle Eastern in appearance.  But I am not privy to the knowledge of how He chooses to show Himself to others; and it doesn't really matter, does it?  My point is that I have also heard of these conversions through other missionary sources, and it validates what an awesome God we serve, and just how supernatural is this thing we call "faith".
     Those of us of the Western Church, and I think especially American Christians, fail to understand just how our God works through supernatural means.  Think about it ... we say that the Bible was supernaturally "breathed" into the spirits of men, who wrote it down for the ages.  But do we really know what that looks like?
     The Holy Book is full of supernatural accounts ... not only the appearance of our God, who lived among us as a perfect human being, but other angels appearing to mortal men; "Joshua's Long Day", when the sun actually stood still; Manna falling from heaven to feed the Israelites while they wandered the wilderness; God's appearance in pillars of fire by night, and a cloud by day; Mary's virgin birth; turning water into wine; the casting out of demons, miraculous healings, and the raising of the dead ... I could go on and on.
     But many in our Western culture do not believe these accounts to mean exactly what they say; they prefer to view them as allegories or parables, or worse yet, folk or fairy tales.  And, even those who believe the Bible to be true in every word  may not comprehend the full significance of these events.  As Americans, we do not seem to be able to look beyond the three dimensions of this finite world we've constructed for ourselves.  We cannot perceive of the multiple dimensions that the God of the Universe has created, nor of the manifestation of events or beings which can be attributed to some force beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature.  In other words, our Western minds tend to want to explain things by putting them in tight, little boxes that are constrained by Science and Logic.  But centuries of written accounts by ancient peoples have shown us that supernatural events have occurred throughout the history of man.
     I am merely concerned that American Christians face a difficult time in the near future, if they are unable (or unwilling) to suspend their restricted sense of reality.  We need to understand that the horrific things that are happening upon the earth are being controlled and manipulated in supernatural ways.  We need to open our minds to exactly what the Apostle Paul is saying in Ephesians 6:12 ... For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
     Do you get what he is telling us here?  This is not some ecclesiastical statement that is meant to sound lofty and exalt Paul as some super-Christian!  And the rulers and authorities he speaks of are not leaders of nations on this earth.  He is telling us in plain English what we are up against in this life ... powers and spiritual forces of evil that reside in heavenly realms!  That means supernatural agents of the Devil that aren't defined by the limitations of flesh and blood bodies.  They are able to move in and out of different dimensions; they are not limited by length or height or breadth or depth.  And they are not contained on this earth; they have access to another dimension that lies between our earth and the throne room of God.
     Remember that the Bible refers to three heavens; our sky and atmosphere is the first heaven (Genesis 1:14).  The second heaven is beyond our atmosphere and where the sun, moon and stars exist (Jeremiah 8:2).  This is also where spiritual warfare occurs (the spiritual forces of evil that Paul refers to in Ephesians 6:12), and where Daniel was told that the Archangel Michael was fighting the Prince of Persia (Daniel 10:13).  Satan is the Prince and Power of the Air in this second heaven, and he is allowed access to our realm.  The third heaven is the dwelling place of the Most High and the angels of God; it is the unique realm of God and the highest of heavens.
     So are Western Believers able to conceive of just how big that makes our God, and the territories in which we must exhibit our faith?  Can we grasp that the atrocities we are witnessing throughout the world against the Chosen People of God and Christians, ("the grafted-in ones"), is an extension of activity and spiritual forces beyond our earthly dimension; and that it is being conducted in a supernatural way?  There is more going on than what appears before our eyes, or that can be explained through rational or logical thought.  That's why we can make no earthly sense of what is happening -- because the force behind it is not of this earth!

     Just open you mind to this bigger concept ... What do you think the Biblical account of the Tower of Babel is really all about?  It was a tower built to reach that next dimension beyond earth; to tap into the power and spiritual forces that resided in that second heaven.  Mankind opened a gate to the next level of heavenly realms; tempted by the same spirit of evil that tried to convince Adam and Eve that they could gain knowledge to become like God.  A portal was opened and man gained access to that second heaven and the spiritual forces of evil -- Satan and his fallen angels.  What was the result?  "God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways" (Genesis 6:12).
     I am inclined to think that portals have been opened to that second heaven and man is once again attempting to "be like God" through his exploits in artificial intelligence, transhumanism, and microchipping of humans.  Once again, the opening of portals have also allowed the spiritual forces of evil to interact with Godless men, and victimize those who follow YHWH.  That is what we are seeing in the actions of ISIS and the growing persecution of Christians.  I believe we are entering a new age of martyrs.  And could it be also be why there is a fascination with the declassification of the Roswell files, and our growing obsession with Extraterrestrial Beings and the Ancient Aliens from outer space?  Do ancient drawings and archeological findings prove that these beings may have traveled between dimensions and heavenly realms thousands of years ago?
     The sightings of space ships, and tales of creatures from outer space who abduct humans have been on the rise in recent years.  They may all be speculative and unproven by our human standards.  But we cannot ignore the Apostle Paul's clear warnings; or the proliferation of evil acts against Believers; and especially the increase of dreams and visions of Jesus.  As Americans, Christian or not, we must come to terms with the fact that we are fighting supernatural forces and a supernatural enemy.  But I would highly recommend that you ask Jesus to supernaturally enter your heart and accept Him as your Savior.  Accept His Power that is in you, and receive His strength.  It's the only chance you have to conquer the Enemy among us.

Ephesians 1:19    "And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength,"


   

   

The Jews: Targeted Again

     When will the world admit that European Jews are the object of extermination?  Again, within a month, Islamic terrorism has claimed the lives of innocent Jews; this time in Denmark at a cafe and outside a synagogue in Copenhagen.  And it's beginning to sound like a lame excuse to lay the blame on "lone wolf" jihadists.  What is Europe's fear in being honest about the widespread ideology that has targeted those of Jewish descent across the continent?  By ignoring the blatant hatred of the Jewish people, do heads of state think they can mollify the terrorists and diminish the number of attacks?  And how long is the world going to tolerate such an inaccurate theory?  The fact is, anti-semitism is on the rise and it is no longer limited to just words against the Jews.
     Would it surprise you to know that rather than face terrorism charges, Danish jihadis who return to the European country from Syria are offered rehabilitation?  And would you find it astonishing to know that more Danes travelled to Syria last year, per head of population, than any other European country except from Belgium?

Flowers line the street outside the Copenhagen synagogue.

     Do you agree that these are random attacks, and it is merely coincidental that Jews are the victims?  Or do you agree with the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, who says, "Again, Jews were murdered on European soil just because they were Jews?"
     So, let's say we agree with the less offensive first assumption -- that it's all just a sad coincidence; that Jews are dead due to the "random" and irrational attacks of a few lone gunmen.  What is Europe doing to make sure another Jew does not become another arbitrary statistic?
     I will admit that Europe has a checkered past in regards to their estimation of the Jews over the last 100-plus years.  For instance, from the beginning of the Twentieth Century, Europe has been suspicious of the dominance in the world economic (or banking) system of Jews like the Rothschild family.  There have long been implications of the control of worldwide financial activity, fanning the flames of World Wars, and an agenda to destroy the power and influence of the Christian Church -- all for the sake of world dominance.  These theories are not without substantial merit.  But is this reason enough to warrant a century of suspicion and hatred of ALL Jews?  Satan has been successful in infiltrating the Jewish line, but as the Bible tells us, God always retains a faithful remnant unto Himself.
     Thus, the 20th Century saw the deaths of millions of innocent Jews in the pogroms (massacres) of Russia and the Holocaust in Nazi Germany.  Now, in the 21st Century, instead of being embraced as part of the European trend towards multi-ethnic and multi-faith communities, the Jews are isolated and segregated, just as they were prior to WWII.
     The truth is, the establishment of their own nation in their historic homeland -- to which millions of Jews have returned since the Holocaust -- did nothing to assuage the hatred or the hostility towards the Jewish people.  If anything, it intensified the enmity.  The creation of the nation of Israel somehow gave cause to label all European Jews as "Zionist Imperialists".  The continued economic crises in 21st Century Europe have given rise to the old associations of Jews and financial control/exploitation; the same bias that ignited Nazi Germany.  Together, with the rise of the Muslim population in Europe, who view the Jews from the 21st Century perspective of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, you have a two-pronged attack against European Jews.  It becomes apparent that both anti-semitism and anti-Zionism fuel the perception of Jews in modern Europe.
     So will Europe be able to stem the tide of Jewish murders and persecution?  Or is this just a precursor to Isaiah's 2700-year-old prophecy that God would draw His people back to their homeland from the north, south, east and west.  Jesus, Himself, in speaking to the Jews, promises wars and rumors of wars; and that "you will be hated (despised) by everyone because [you bear] My name and for its sake."  Remember, that Jesus was a descendant of the tribe of Judah by his lineage, and He very clearly states in this passage that Jews will be persecuted and despised.  But Jesus also gives a quick little prophecy about a fig tree that "puts forth its buds and comes out in leaf".  Is He prophesying the re-emergence of the nation of Israel?  Is this a reconstitution of ancient Israel, growing and putting out shoots after a period of dormancy?
      And what does the Lord's statement mean in the following verse, when He says that when you see this happening, know that the Kingdom of God is at hand?  Could it be that this is just a Cosmic Chess Match, as submitted by author L.A. Marzulli, and the persecution of the Jews today is just an ongoing effort by Satan to try to stay one move ahead of God's plan to redeem the world through His Son, the Jewish Messiah?  If so, the words of Prime Minister Netanyahu would seem prophetic in themselves:  "This wave of attacks is expected to continue, as well as murderous anti-Semitic attacks. Jews deserve security in every country, but we say to our Jewish brothers and sisters, Israel is your home."
     At this time, Denmark and Europe seem to want to categorize the latest murders as an attack on the freedom of expression and free speech.  Satan has been clever in deceiving the world into falling for a false narrative.  But those of us who see clearly know that we are edging closer to the precipice.  The chess match is coming to a close, and neither player is willing to resign from the game or allow it to conclude with a draw.  But here's the deal:  we know Who the winner is; we know which King will run out of plays and be captured and thrown into the abyss.  You see, a Kingdom is the place where the King resides, and the Prince of this world will soon abdicate his position of power and the Kingdom of God will truly reign on the earth!  And the world will despair of how they treated the House of Judah.  Europe and the world ... take notice!

Click here for a report on the Copenhagen, Denmark shootings as reported by the U.K.'s Daily Mail.

Luke 21:28-32     "Now when these things begin to occur, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption (deliverance) is drawing near. And He told them a parable: Look at the fig tree and all the trees; When they put forth their buds and come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and perceive and know that summer is already near.  Even so, when you see these things taking place, understand and know that the kingdom of God is at hand.  Truly I tell you, this generation those living at that definite period of time) will not perish and pass away until all has taken place."

An Example For Us: The Faith of Persecuted Christians

   

     The nation of Niger in western Africa has been the site of recent demonstrations and violence after the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack in France.  It is located north of Nigeria and to the east of Mali, both countries that have seen their own share of violence in recent years.  In the last couple of weeks seven Christian churches in the capital city of Niamey (along with more than 60 throughout the nation) have been burned in retaliation for the satirical depiction of the prophet Mohammed.  Niger was once a French colonial possession and retains strong cultural ties with France, and because the nation is more than 90% Muslim, the backlash against Christians has been severe.
     According to The Christian Post, U.S. missionaries in the country have reported , "all of [their] churches have been burned along with the pastors' homes ... almost every church [they] know or are associated with has been attacked." The missionaries, who despite seeing smoke "around all sides of [their] house," remain in Niamey, the nation's capital.  It has also been reported that ten people have died in the attacks.
     Christians in Muslim countries around the world are being targeted in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo controversy.  Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, who was born in Niger, has issued sermons against Christians, calling on Muslim men to join a global jihad that can be heard at mosques across the country of Nigeria.  In addition, Christians in Mali, Sudan and Somalia have fallen into states of panic in the face of increased persecution.
     Cameron Thomas, the African regional administrator of International Christian Concern (ICC), stated,  "Christians in Muslim-majority countries hostile to even the practice, let alone the spread, of Christianity face incredible hardship for their faith that is often made worse by seemingly unconnected actions in the Western world. Over the course of these riots, dozens of churches and Christian businesses and homes will burn for a cause unconnected to themselves."  ICC is an organization that derives its purpose from serving the persecuted Church in the world.  And it seems as if that need is growing.

Neal and Danette Childs, and family

     In a report on the Niger attacks, Todd Starnes of The Blaze shared the testimony of Neal and Danette Childs, who have been missionaries in the West African country since 1998; serving through their Reaching Unreached Nations (RUN) ministry.  “Our immediate response — there is that little bit of panic,” Neal Childs related. “We were ready. We were on guard.”  Childs reported that the parsonages where two ministers and their families were living were also destroyed and looted, leaving at least one of those preachers with practically nothing left over.
     But their tremendous faith is something that we here, in America, would do well to imitate.  The Christian pastors have forgiven the mobs and returned to public worship... they are not afraid.  "The church is recognizing this is something to be joyful over — the church and their faith have been proven. Jesus said rejoice and be exceedingly glad when men persecute you, for great is your reward in heaven."
     I have to ask ... where has the media coverage been over the fallout of the Charlie Hebdo storm?  Why is no one reporting that Christian communities in Africa are suffering increasing persecution?  The White House website carries no news about the events in Niger.  The New York Times quoted the reason the Muslim rioters were angry, but no comments from the Christian victims. USA Today repeated the often heard mantra that "Islam is a peaceful religion", while making no mention of the 70 Christian churches across the nation that lie in smoldering ruins.

Pastor Nwene

     But I don't want to focus on the negligence of the press.  Rather, I want to shout for joy at the faith and endurance of the Christian pastors in the persecuted churches of Niger.   On his website for his ministry, Neal Childs features the encouraging message of Pastor Nelson Nwene.  His message?  "We need to forgive.  In fact, we need to ask God to forgive those who did this, so judgment doesn’t fall on them.  Then we need to go after them.  Not to retaliate, but to reach them with the power of the Gospel.  We have an opportunity like we’ve never had before."  Childs also states, "There were tears, but more than the tears, there was rejoicing.  The church in Niger is strong!"
     In fact, Pastors across Niger rejoiced in their faith.  Pastor Zabeyrou preached by flashlight.  Pastor Moctar gave his church members the opportunity to share testimonies.  One after the other came and gave glory to God for His protection in spite of all that happened, and in spite of the fear all around them.  They shared how their neighbors saw them with a new respect when they saw them returning to church.  And mostly they shared how they had forgiven, and are excited about what God is going to do through this unprecedented persecution.

Pastor Zebeyrou preaches by flashlight

     And here is Neal Childs' own assessment of how God will use this persecution to glorify His Church:  "The Church in Niger was attacked ... The Body of Christ in this land.  At least 70 churches were burned, vandalized and looted.  Ours included.  The majority of the attacks took place on Saturday.  Also attacked were pastor’s homes, orphanages and Christian Schools.  It was an unprecedented attack that the Enemy meant to use to destroy.  What an idiot he is."
     I wanted you to know about this persecution and pray for these good people in Niger; these faithful people.  And I want us to ask ourselves the following:  1)  Are we prepared to suffer as these Christians are?  2)  Would we react in the same spirit of love and forgiveness?  3)  Are we willing to intercede in prayer on their behalf, or we will remain unmoved for our Christian brethren in their time of need, as we bask in our affluence and freedom from fear?  Think seriously about these questions, because I can tell you that we will not be spared such persecution in the future.  And I fear that the American Church will not rise from the ashes in solidarity and faith, as have the persecuted in Niger.  Look at those faces of joy in the midst of such devastation and pray that we will be found such jubilant Overcomers as they.

If you wish to make a donation to these Pastors and their churches, click here.  The donation is made to RUN ministries here in the States, and administered by Neal and Danette Childs.  To read about their committed lives as missionaries in Africa, click here. 
   
Hosea 12:6    “So you, by the help of your God, return, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God.”  

   
   

The Hope Is There If You Look For It

     It is getting difficult to write about anything that doesn't pertain to my hope in Christ.  The accumulation of wealth, or status, or social benefits that we in the West so desire, will amount to nothing in the end.  Only our faith can provide protection from this hostile world, and events are certainly showing us that Evil is launching an offensive against those who dare to stand up to it.  Whether it is people who espouse the principle of free expression; or followers of Jesus Christ who dare to proclaim their faith, we must all face the fact that darkness is upon us.

     The recent attacks in France and the persecution of Christians across the Middle East and Africa are enough to make us all uneasy.  An organization called Open Doors, reports that each month, there are 322 Christians killed for their faith, 214 Christian churches and properties are destroyed, and 772 forms of violence are committed against Christians (including beatings, abductions, rapes, arrests, and forced marriages).  Just because they occur in far-off places like India, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Syria, or Nigeria does not mean we can dismiss them.  If one part of the Body of Christ is suffering, then the whole body is affected.
     And, yes, it is both frightening and depressing to dwell on these statistics.  It may seem as if God is distant and no longer making His presence known to His children.  But if we pay attention, He is there in the smallest of details, and in the seemingly insignificant moments.  This happened to me, just in the last 24 hours.  Last evening, PLW and I decided to watch a movie; something to take our focus off ourselves.  We decided on The Good Lie, a movie that intrigued us because of its story about some Lost Boys from Sudan, who were relocated to America.  If you are unfamiliar with who these boys are, the official description of them is "the groups of over 20,000 boys of the Nuer and Dinka ethnic groups who were displaced and/or orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983–2005); about 2.5 million were killed and millions were displaced."
     The movie showed not only the horrific marches these children made across a thousand miles of Sudanese deserts to reach, first Ethiopia (but the soldiers were there) and then the refugee camps in Kenya, only to survive amid abysmal conditions.  The movie also touched on the reality that many were forced to become child soldiers and take part in the genocide of their own countrymen.  You're probably asking, "So, where is the hope in this tragedy?"
     The first surprise and hint of promise came in the names of the primary characters.  The characters are fictional, but their names have meaning.  Theo and his brother Mamere, were accompanied by Daniel, Jeremiah, Paul, and their "sister", Abital.  Mind you, they were not all related, but they became a family through the shared experience of their flight from genocide, the thirteen years of near hopeless existence in the refugee camps, and their ultimate relocation to America.
      Several of the actors in the movie had been former Sudanese refugees; some having been forcibly recruited as child soldiers; this lent credibility and emotion to the movie.  But I was most moved by the characters' knowledge of the Bible and their familiarity with Scripture.  There is even a scene where they are shown struggling during the hundreds of miles they walked to reach the refugee camp; with one of the children clutching what looks like a Gideon Bible.  Their understanding and comprehension of the Scripture they quoted made my heart sing!  Mind you, these were children who had lived in primitive villages, were cattle herders with no modern conveniences; yet, they had heard God's Word and it had pierced their hearts.
      I was intrigued by the fact that three of the "brothers" were named after three of God's mightiest prophets, and this actually brought tears to my eyes.  The story of their love for each other, and the sister they become separated from in America, is at the heart of the movie.  And so is their simple, child-like faith and obedience to the life God has called them to.
     I received an extra bonus this morning during my time of Bible study.  As I studied the early years of King David, I noted the names of his sons, born to his various wives.  The name of the wife who bore him his fifth son, was Abital, the same name given to the sister in the movie, and just one more connection to God from this inspirational film.
      I know it may seem "worldly" to put so much emphasis on a movie, but God speaks into this earthly realm in a variety of ways to remind us that He is around us, and in us, and with us. The plight of the Lost Boys of Sudan was real, and so is the faith that has carried so many Christians in that part of the world.  Unfortunately, Open Doors reports on their website that "the year 2014 will go down in history for having the highest level of global persecution of Christians in the modern era ... and current conditions suggest the worst is yet to come.  Africa saw the most rapid growth of persecution, while the Middle East saw targeted attacks, resulting in a mass exodus of Christians."
       But we must cling to the hope that comes to us in the news that 13 kidnapped Coptic Christians were released in Libya this week, and that between 30-40% of recent Indian converts to Christianity have signed their names to a petition to re-affirm their decision for Christ, and to seek police protection from intimidation by fundamentalist Hindu groups.  While Boko Haram increases their assaults on Christian villages in Nigeria, the faithful in that ravaged country refuse to deny their Savior.  These are very real examples of God fortifying the faith of the Body of Christ.  Their example should fortify us and give us hope; that when it comes our turn, we will be able to stand as courageously and faithfully as our Christian brethren.  Pray earnestly for them and praise God for the gifts of His presence in our lives!

Psalm 27:3    "Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident."

"The Affleck Syndrome"

     It has certainly been interesting to watch uber-Liberal atheist Bill Maher and his atheist author buddy Sam Harris attempt to talk religion with Hollywood hothead Ben Affleck.  The subject was the Left's reaction to criticism of the violence committed by jihadists in the name of the Islamic religion.
     First of all, I found it amusing that Maher declared that Liberals have a claim on "the freedom of speech; the freedom to practice any religion you want without fear of violence; the freedom to leave a religion; equality for women, minorities, and homosexuals" ---- these are principles he called "Liberal Principles".  (Why is it that Liberals are the only ones who believe in these principles?  Don't all people want freedom and equality?)
     Sam Harris went on to say, "Liberals have failed on the topic of theocracy."  By this, I believe he is referring to a particular doctrine of a particular religion; in this case, Islam.  He goes on: "Liberals will criticize White theocracy and Christianity... they will become agitated about the abortion clinic bombing in 1984; but when you want to talk about treatment of homosexuals, women, and free-thinkers in the Muslim world, then you are called racist."  That automatically introduced the loathsome word (gasp!) ... Islamophobia!  

     That's when Affleck could contain himself no longer.  He almost came flying out of his seat as he tried to equate that kind of logic with disparaging comments about Jews and Blacks.  His argument was that Maher and Harris were conflating Islam with Muslims; they were painting a broad brush of doctrinal belief across all Muslim cultures and peoples.  Who is right?  Or are they both correct?  The problem is you have men -- two who have publicly stated they have no love of religion or faith; and one who shows no evidence that he knows what faith is -- trying to defend a religion that our culture cannot understand or equate.  So that makes them authorities, right? (Wink, Wink).
     From my decidedly (and unapologetically) Christian viewpoint, it looks to me that Mr. Affleck wants to argue this from a position of relativism.  In other words, I think he believes that no one can argue what Islam stands for, because Muslims are free to interpret Islam as they wish.  So those who interpret it violently are just "a few bad apples", so to speak.  And when you try to use "relativism" as an argument, you become less interested in defining the true nature of something, and no one is ever really to blame, are they?
     As Raymond Ibrahim, an award-winning journalist and Middle East and Islam specialist, points out in an article on PJ Media, "The fundamental mistake in the position of [Islam apologists such as Ben Affleck] is that it places Muslims on a higher pedestal of authority than Islam itself (even though Muslims are by definition “one’s who submit” to Islam, which is “submission” to Allah’s laws).  Islam is based on the law, or Sharia — “the way” prescribed by Allah and his prophet.  And Sharia most certainly does call for any number of things — subjugation of women and religious minorities, war on “infidels” and the enslavement of their women and children, bans on free speech and apostasy — that even Affleck would normally condemn."
     We, in the Western culture are simply unable to understand that this is not only a religious problem, but a cultural one.  Yes, not all Muslims are jihadists.  But, we must ask ourselves this:  "Are all Muslims Islamists?"  There are many that do not embrace violent jihad; they wish to work within the system, but if they are a true Islamist, then they still believe in the strict doctrine of Sharia Law, and that is where the danger lies.
     It is the foundation of Sharia Law that the jihadists want to impose on the world.  I will agree that it is wrong to say that "all Muslims" want to execute you if you leave the faith, or stone homosexuals; but to me, the fact that one would say it is a problem!  And how do apologists square the fact that a growing number of Muslims are flocking to ISIS, who loudly proclaim their goal of Sharia Law for the world?  This is the same Sharia Law that advocates stoning homosexuals and adulterers, or executing you if you leave the faith, remember? I would expect Liberals,who espouse a person's freedom of choice, to recognize that characteristic of the Islamic faith.  To which, the standard reply from apologists like Affleck, is that we are racists. In our culture, whenever you want to shut down any argument or logic, you simply invoke the "race card", and you are discredited.  But here's the problem, Ben --- a Muslim is not a race of people, but a follower of the religion of Islam.
     As Rich Lowry, of the National Review Online, wrote, all Bill Maher was trying to say "is that self-consciously tolerant liberals often look the other way when confronted with the intolerance of the Muslim world." But Ben Affleck just can't go there.  It feels too judgmental, and as any modern American Liberal must do, he cannot give any hint of American or Western "exceptionalism".
     So how does he explain away that Christians in Syria and Iraq are given three choices by Muslim Islamic believers -- convert to Islam, become enslaved to the system, or death?  Or does he simply ignore the difference in the way Christians and Islamists pray about their enemies?  There is a huge difference between loving your enemy and praying for those who persecute you, and praying for your god to cut out the tongues of your enemy, freeze their blood and inflict pain and misery on them.
     The sad truth of the controversial debate between these men is that they argued over the unfair criticism of Muslims and Islam, and found nothing good to say about our Christian Faith.  They are blind to the inherent sinful nature of all men, and that we are all in need of a Savior.  They just look down upon us misguided followers of Jesus, and refuse to look up for their redemption.  They're so smart, and compassionate, and they have no need of deliverance; they have all the answers.  Their arguments are just a symptom of the West's egocentricity and social relativism -- we are self-important, and there are no moral absolutes; our values and ways of interpreting the world can vary from society to society and even within different sections of societies.  So, how dare we question another person's actions, especially if they look different and act different than we do?
     The bottom line is this:  These men, who have no faith of their own, are incapable of understanding an extreme faith; and are only capable of projecting their own moral relativism on another culture's actions.  In the end, their opinions don't really matter; they are just an actor and talking heads.  But sadly, we have politicians who are responsible for our national safety who have no more faith, and their moral view is just as cloudy.  God have mercy on us!

Isaiah 5:20   "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!"
   

   
   

"Nationalistic" Christianity Ignores Persecution

    We now are hearing that Christians in the Middle East have more to fear than the Islamic State.  Both Breitbart News and Fox News have recently published reports that Christians are coming under attack from hard-line Islamists in Saudi Arabia, our so-called ally in the region.
     To be exact, The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, is making it a practice to round up Christians who are allegedly conducting "home churches" in their residences.  Within the last two weeks, twenty-eight people were rounded up -- including men, women and children -- and Bibles were confiscated.  According to human rights activists, the whereabouts of these people are unknown.
     It is seldom acknowledged, but Saudi Arabia is "the only nation state in the world with the official policy of banning all churches," reported Nina Shea, of the Hudson Institute Center for Religious Freedom.  "This is enforced even though there are over 2 million Christian foreign workers in that country. Those victimized are typically poor, from Asian and African countries with weak governments."  But they are nevertheless, bold in their faith!
     In fact, the Saudis ban all non-Islam religions.  With the country being 90% Sunni Muslim, one can imagine that Christians, whether workers or visitors, would not be welcome.
     Breitbart News reports that in February 2013, Saudi Arabia arrested 53 Ethiopian Christians for praying in a home. The authorities accused the three leaders of trying to convert Muslims to Christianity. Three months later, a court sentenced two men to lashes for converting a woman to Christianity.
     The English language Saudi Gazette ran this news item:  A Lebanese man was sentenced to six years in prison and 300 lashes for converting a woman, while a Saudi man was sentenced to two years and 200 lashes for aiding her escape abroad [to Sweden]. 
     Although the official statement of the Saudi government is that they are unaware of the most recent mass arrests, it is well known that Saudi Arabia’s Islamist religious police continue to expunge any trace of Christianity within its territory.
    So here comes the central point of my post:  why are we not hearing about these latest persecutions from every pulpit in America?  Are not these our fellow Brothers and Sisters in Christ?  Shouldn't we be offering intercessory prayer for their protection and deliverance?  Yet, I would be willing to bet that very few of our in-church-every-Sunday brethren are petitioning God on their behalf.  Why?
     Well, I think that Eric Metaxas, the author of one of my very favorite books, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, has discovered the answer.  Speaking to the audience at the "In Defense of Christianity" summit, just one day after Senator Ted Cruz was booed for his stance on supporting Israel, Metaxas made it clear just where he stood, as well.
     FrontPage Mag reported that the best-selling author "spoke about the critical spiritual implications of refusing to stand in solidarity with others who are persecuted."  The summit was meeting in response to the persecution of Christians, Jews and Muslims in Iraq by the ISIS army; anyone who would not convert to Islam or who opposed their reign of terror.  Metaxas cautioned that we should be standing in unity with all the persecuted throughout Iraq and Syria, no matter what their faith, as well as the Lebanese, Saudi, and Ethiopian Christians who are being persecuted for their spreading of the Gospel.

     Metaxas quoted Bonhoeffer, a German Lutheran pastor during Hitler's savage persecution of the Jews, who said, "Silence in the face of evil, is evil."  (Bonhoeffer was subsequently executed for his part in a plot to assassinate Hitler.  He struggled with his conscience, but ultimately hoped that God would understand his need to confront evil).
     Metaxas said that he had learned in his research for Bonhoeffer that many people that “claimed to be Christians” were silent because they were more “nationalistic” than they were Christian.  He reiterated gently but firmly that it was never appropriate to “conflate nationalism with Christian faith.” He made three points that show why Christian identity cannot be one with nationalism:
1.  The role of the Church is to be the conscience of the State. If it is one with the State – appeasing or compromising – it is abdicating being the Church.
2.  Satan is the one who divides the Church. After lightheartedly asking the audience, “you do believe in Satan, right?” Metaxas said, “We only see the true Church of Jesus Christ where there is unity.” He declared that the greatest enemy of Satan is unity in the Church.
3.  The Christian’s first allegiance is to Jesus of Nazareth (“Jesus the Jew,” he added), not to his or her nation.
     So does this explain the silence in the American Church?  Are we too worried about our 501(c)3 status to be the moral conscience of the country?  If we speak out about persecution against fellow Christians in far-away places, how does that appear as criticism of our foreign policy?  Since when did Jesus say that politics come before the Body of Christ?  Of course, these questions would not even be on the table if the Church was acting like the true Church of Jesus Christ, instead of a "luke-warm" imitator.
     Just because this is not happening to American Christians (yet), does that absolve us from a spiritual relationship with other persecuted Christians?  Metaxas was frank in declaring that our unity with fellow Christians, persecuted or not, should not be about national unity or political unity.  It is about unity as the Church, one Body of Christ around the world, called to speak with one voice against evil ... just as Dietrich Bonhoeffer did, and as Senator Cruz had said during his speech.  “Speak up for your Christian faith. Speak up for your Brothers and Sisters. Repent of this silence. Rejoice to be in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”  Well said, Mr. Metaxas!

Ephesians 6:18   "Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints..."

"The Battle For The Free World Is In Iraq"

     I believe there is a very important article on the Christian Broadcasting Network that deserves your attention.  It has been difficult for us Americans to know the truth of our involvement -- or of our planned participation -- in fighting ISIS in Iraq.  We receive confusing messages of "airstrikes" but "no boots on the ground"; of fighting this terrorist movement, yet letting the Iraqi forces defend themselves.  But this article will give you new insight to just how important how part could be.   
     This week, the formidable fighting force of the Kurdish Peshmerga (which means "Those who face death") were successful in seizing control of the strategic Mosul Dam from ISIS.  The terrorist army had threatened to destroy the dam, releasing a 30-foot wall of water upon downstream cities, including the heart of Baghdad.
     CBN News was able to interview one of the district commanders of the Peshmerga, who supplied some valuable information for us, as Americans:  "When they (ISIS) controlled this area, they started to kill people, kidnap women, and slay people in the streets.  This is the way they control other areas. They persecuted Yazidis and Christians and threatened the Christians to either convert to Islam, pay the tax, or be killed."

     While stressing that they are willing to fight the jihadist terrorists, the Commander underscored two very important facts:  ISIS is better armed than the Peshmerga forces.  Therefore, they need the West and the U.S. to 1) provide them with much-needed weapons and 2) they need training on how to effectively use these weapons.
     But perhaps the most important aspect of the Kurdish involvement is that they see themselves as the point of the spear in the battle against ISIS.  "Right now Kurdistan is fighting the terror on behalf of the whole free world," the Kurdish commander said. "The terrorists of ISIS have gathered here from everywhere in the world, and they pose a threat to countries all over the world, from Australia to Europe and other countries."
     "The battle of the whole world moved here to Kurdistan," he continued. "Because we are the people of this region, we know how to fight against ISIS. We know the area and we know what we need to do, so this is why we need the support of the world in order to stand against ISIS."
     It is quite apparent that they know what is at stake.  Fox News reports on just how passionate the Peshmerga are about their part in this battle against Evil.... old soldiers are coming out of retirement (from around the world!) to rejoin the ranks of Kurdistan’s legendary Peshmerga fighters.  They are hardened combatants; they have years of experience in fighting Saddam Hussein's formidable army, as well as their ancestral enemies, the Turks.  In addition, tribal battles have made them among the most fearsome fighters on the planet.
     Plus, there is the added dimension of the courage and strength that the older soldiers offer the Peshmerga.  The new, younger officers say "they are buoyed by the knowledge that their heroes are alongside them and that they will happily follow them into battle."  This unique trend personifies a deeply ingrained Kurdish tradition -- that of deep familial and inter-generational respect. In each unit, one retired soldier is assigned to ten younger ones.
     Then, as reported by Fox, there is the especially poignant story of Sherdyl Rwandzi, 49, a taxi driver from Bournmouth, England.  He moved back to Kurdistan six months ago at the urging of his wife and stepmother, so he could join the “battle for humanity.” He recalled his wife telling him, “If you don’t fight for your country, then the foreigners will take it -- and what will your children have left?”
     In truth, what will any of the world's children have left, if ISIS is not stopped?  They have have made their goals well-known, even announcing their presence in Ferguson, Missouri!  They intend to conquer the world in the name of their evil fanaticism.  We, in the United States, had better wake up to the realization that we are the end goal, and if they succeed in Iraq, they will be emboldened to continue their advancement of persecution and death.  The Kurds recognize what is at stake.  Do we?

Genesis 9:6    "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image."

The Silence Is Telling

     My mind and my soul, these days, are preoccupied with spiritual matters; and so I ask, "Will anyone speak up?"  I have been looking for someone -- anyone -- with some national recognition to speak publicly about the growing persecution of Christians in the world.  I'm not talking about just reporting the news; the facts about what is happening.  That has been done, albeit with little call for action by fellow Christians.  I am talking about someone to call attention to what all Christians should be doing in the face of the slaughter.  There are many faithful bloggers who are alarmed and advocating for spiritual intervention.  But I have found next to nothing from any National Voice.  Sadly, I had to go back nine months to locate an article in The Daily Beast by Kirsten Powers, a political pundit who appears on Fox News, and has written for USA Today, Newsweek, and The Wall Street Journal.
     In the past, I have found very little in common with Ms. Powers.  We are on opposites sides politically, and disagree on just about every major social issue out there.  But I am happy to say that we stand together on the deafening silence of the American Church when it comes to the widespread persecution of Christians.

     Like Kirsten, I am dumbfounded at the lack of concern from the pulpits of America.  How can they act as though the persecution is not happening; especially when the headlines scream of beheadings and crucifixions across Iraq?  How can they ignore the young girls in Africa being abducted and forced into conversion to Islam?  Why is no Pastor shouting for Christians across the globe to be praying for our brethren and to be interceding on their behalf?
     All across the Middle East and Africa, armies of Islam are separating the Muslims from the non-Muslims.  Those who are Muslim or can answer questions about Islam are allowed to go free.  Non-Muslims are killed.  In her 2013 article in The Daily Beast, Ms. Powers quoted Nina Shea, an international human-rights lawyer and expert on religious persecution.  Ms. Shea testified in 2011 before Congress regarding the fate of Iraqi Christians, two-thirds of whom have vanished from the country. They have either been murdered or fled in fear for their lives. Said Shea: “In August 2004 … five churches were bombed in Baghdad and Mosul. On a single day in July 2009, seven churches were bombed in Baghdad … The archbishop of Mosul, was kidnapped and killed in early 2008. A bus convoy of Christian students were violently assaulted. Christians … have been raped, tortured, kidnapped, beheaded, and evicted from their homes …”.
     All that was before the uprising of ISIL (or ISIS, if you prefer) in the last few weeks.  In their drive to capture Baghdad, these Sunni Muslim terrorists have demanded that everyone convert to Islam "or face the sword".  Horrifically, many Christians have held fast to their faith and paid with their lives.  Yet, American churches and fellow Christians act as if it was happening to some alien group.
     My fellow Christians, it is happening to our brothers and sisters in Christ!  It is happening to the Body of Christ!  It is happening to people who a part of us!
     Lela Gilbert is an author who wrote a book titled Saturday People, Sunday People, which refers to an Islamic slogan which means “first we kill the Jews, then we kill the Christians.”  In 2013, Gilbert wrote that her Jewish friends and neighbors in Israel “are shocked but not entirely surprised” by the attacks on Christians in the Middle East. “They are rather puzzled, however, by what appears to be a lack of anxiety, action, or advocacy on the part of Western Christians.”  How much more shocked must they be a year or more later!
     Think about it.  American Christians and Churches have no problem getting involved when it comes to the immigrant children at the border, or helping those who have been devastated by natural disasters, or working to support missionaries taking the Gospel to foreign lands.  I agree that these are absolutely all worthy causes, and we should be helping these people.  Yet when it comes to acknowledging that our brothers and sisters in Christ are suffering, their voices are silent.
     Perhaps the saddest picture of this silence comes from the efforts of Representative Frank Wolf, of Virginia, who wrote a letter to 300 Catholic and Protestant leaders complaining about their lack of engagement. “Can you, as a leader in the church, help?” he wrote. “Are you pained by these accounts of persecution? Will you use your sphere of influence to raise the profile of this issue—be it through a sermon, writing or media interview?”  He received very few responses.
     Then Wolf and Representative Anna Eshoo (CA) sponsored legislation last year to create a special envoy at the State Department to advocate for religious minorities in the Middle East and South-Central Asia. It passed in the House overwhelmingly, but died in the Senate.  Did you even hear about it?  Think about the effect we could have had if our legislators had heard from us; if our Churches had educated us about this important legislation?  Oh, I forgot, they are all too worried about their tax status from the corrupt IRS.
     In his letter challenging U.S. religious leaders, Representative Wolf quoted Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was executed for his efforts in the Nazi resistance:  “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”  All Christians, whether in leadership roles or not, should take heed of Bonhoeffer's words and pay attention to history.  The German Church ignored the growing persecution of Jews across Europe.  They turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to it, and they did it at their own peril.  In the end, the German Church was taken over by Nazi ideology and the blood of millions of Jews was upon their hands.  The American Church is flirting with following the same path.  Pastors must throw off the chains of government and speak out about the wave of persecution engulfing Christianity.  The tide of torment is growing into a tsunami and history has shown us what can happen when such evil is allowed to foment unchecked.
     Dietrich Bonhoeffer and a handful of pastors stood alone in the German Church.  He came to America in 1939, hoping to escape the fall of his Church, gain strength from the American Church,  and return to Germany to rebuild the Church from the ashes of war.  But he soon became disillusioned with the American Church, writing:  "I now wonder whether it is true that America is the country without a reformation? ... There hardly ever seem to be "encounters" [with God] in this great country.  But where there is no encounter, where liberty is the only unifying factor, one naturally knows nothing of the community which is created through encounter."  (As Bonhoeffer implies, are we so removed from the sufferings of our Middle Eastern brethren because our Freedom has insulated us against similar attacks?  And how long is that protection going to last?  The ISIL leader announced they're "coming to New York"!)
     While attending an American church in June of 1939, Bonhoeffer wrote of the sermon, "Lively and original, but too much analysis and too little Gospel."  What would he say today??  And again in June of 1939, he wrote about America:  "The separation of church and state does not result in the church continuing to apply itself to its own task; it is no guarantee against secularism.  Nowhere is the church more secularized than where it is separated in principle, as it does here.  This very separation can create an opposition, so that the church engages much more strongly in political and secular things."  (Think the gay marriage issue).
     Now, in June of 2014, some 75 years after Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote those prescient words, we find the Church bearing the fruit of his prophecy.  I fear that the Church no longer "applies itself to its own task".  In Ephesians 4, God calls the leaders of the Church to "equip His people for works of service so that the body may be built up until we reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."
     Is the American Church building up the Body of Christ, which, by the way, includes Christians other than Americans?  Have we reached a UNITY in faith with our Christian brethren throughout the world?  Or are we sitting smugly and comfortably in our churches, whether small or large, and just taking care of ourselves?  Those Christians dying in the Middle East and Africa are our FAMILY!  Are you praying for their safety and protection?  Are you personally feeling their pain and rejoicing when they stand against Evil and refuse to renounce our Lord?  This should be the primary message coming from our pulpits!  We shouldn't have to pass legislation to encourage our Leadership to advocate for our fellow Christians.  This should be a calling upon the hearts of every Christian around the world!
    In the end, I pray that more voices will be heard and more hearts will respond to the cries of our family in faith.  Returning to war-torn Germany, Dietrich Bonhoeffer paid with his life when he determined he must fight Evil, rather than take the conciliatory path of his Church.  My fellow Christians, will you follow the American Church and remain silent; or will you let your voice be heard in the heavens?  May God forgive us for how far we have fallen as His Nation and His Church.

 2 Corinthians 4:13    "And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak,"

SCOTUS Leaves Christians Defenseless

   

     By refusing to hear the case of a New Mexico photographer who declined a job to commemorate the same-sex union of two lesbians, the Supreme Court of the United States, in effect, is forcing Christians to go against their religious convictions, and to do it against their will.
     The photographer was accused of violating New Mexico's "sexual orientation" law which mandates that there can be no denial of service based on discrimination by those offering their services to the public. Here are the facts, as reported by World Net Daily:  In 2006, Elaine Huguenin received an email from a woman, Vanessa Willock, asking if she would be “open to helping us celebrate our day,” a “commitment ceremony” between her and her same-sex partner.  When Elaine and her husband, Jonathan, politely declined because the ceremony was at odds with their beliefs, Willock found another photographer, for less money.  But that did not stop her from filing a complaint with the New Mexico Human Rights Commission, demanding the Huguenins be punished.  And that is the primary objective ... to punish.
    The Huguenins said they would “gladly serve gays and lesbians” by taking portraits. But photographing same-sex marriages or commitment ceremonies would “require them to create expression conveying messages that conflict with their religious beliefs,” according to their petition to the Supreme Court.
     OK, I feel like a broken record whenever I try to discuss my convictions on this subject.  It's really very simple for me.  While my religious beliefs do not condone the redefinition of the word "marriage" to become anything other than the Biblical meaning, I would not tell another person how to conduct their lives.  It is their choice.  But it is equally my choice to not be coerced into approving their choice.  Doesn't it seem as if the New Mexico law is doing just that?
     Let me just put it into terms that apply to me.  I am a writer.  I am also a Christian who honors my God's commandments to the best of my abilities.  There are certain actions that He has made clear to me that He does not approve of, and of which He would not want me to write in an approving manner.  I am guilty of some of them; therefore I am not comfortable passing judgment on others who may commit different acts that offend Him.  I can only change me and my heart, with His help.
     But my religious beliefs and consciousness regarding an issue like same-sex marriage are the same beliefs that would not permit me to write and glorify someone's actions who is a murderer, an adulterer, a gossiper, a slanderer, an abuser of his/her parents, a God-hater, a greedy embezzler, a liar, and so forth.  Before those of you who disagree with me, go all Duck Dynasty on me .... I am not equating same-sex marriage with the act of murder.  I am just trying to make the point that the Bible is my standard for a broad spectrum of activities.  That doesn't mean that I think no one should be allowed to write about them; I simply choose to let someone else do that honor, should they so desire.
     But forcing me, as a Christian, to say that I approve of what Jeffrey Dahmer or Bernie Madoff did is no different than forcing a Christian photographer or baker to use their artistic expression in approval of same-sex marriage.  No one is saying that you can't have your wedding cake or your commitment photographs; in fact, in every single case brought before the courts, the couples have been able to find someone who is happy to supply the service.  Just don't force someone who chooses to abide by their religious convictions to do something against their faith and their will.
     Yet by declining to even consider the case, the Supreme Court of our land is, in effect, condoning the decisions of the lower courts.  And it doesn't stop there!  I could hardly believe it when I read that one of the New Mexico State Supreme Court justices said that being ordered to compromise one’s beliefs is simply the “price of citizenship.”  As a group, the New Mexico justices released this statement, in part:  At its heart, this case teaches that at some point in our lives all of us must compromise, if only a little, to accommodate the contrasting values of others. A multicultural, pluralistic society, one of our nation’s strengths, demands no less. The Huguenins are free to think, to say, to believe, as they wish; they may pray to the God of their choice and follow those commandments in their personal lives wherever they lead... In the smaller, more focused world of the marketplace, of commerce, of public accommodation, the Huguenins have to channel their conduct, not their beliefs, so as to leave space for other Americans who believe something different. That compromise is part of the glue that holds us together as a nation, the tolerance that lubricates the varied moving parts of us as a people. That sense of respect we owe others, whether or not we believe as they do, illuminates this country, setting it apart from the discord that afflicts much of the rest of the world. In short, I would say to the Huguenins, with the utmost respect: it is the price of citizenship."
     In short, Elaine and Jonathan Huguenin must compromise, show tolerance and respect for others who are different than they.  But because they are Christians, they cannot expect the same treatment.  They, apparently are not worthy of tolerance or respect; and anyone who disagrees with their religious beliefs does not have to compromise.  And exactly why doesn't Vanessa Willock have to compromise to accommodate the contrasting values of Elaine and Jonathan?  Where is Vanessa's respect for someone who believes differently than she does?  Where is the outrage over the "social injustice" perpetrated against the Huguenins?  But remember, it is not about justice; it is all about punishing.
     I am afraid this is just the beginning of the legal persecution of Christians.  When Judge Tim L. Garcia of the New Mexico Court of Appeals says that states can require Christians to violate their faith to do business; and the United States Supreme Court does nothing to protect our rights to practice our faith as commanded, then where does it all lead?  If we are Bible-believing Christians, we know good and well where we're headed.  It's not going to get any easier from here on out.  We must make up our minds to continue and persevere in our faith.  As our Lord told us, there's a price to be paid to follow Him.  You have a choice ... compromise or stand firm.  What will you do?

Revelation 14:12     "Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus."