Would Christians in America benefit from more persecution?

Would Christians in America benefit from more persecution?
I have asked myself this question a lot.  Because my flesh likes being comfortable.

If we look historically (for example Christianity prior to the legalization of it by the Roman Empire in 313AD) and globally (ex: the Church in China) it seems that persecution does spark growth and boldness. More correctly it breaks us out of being comfortable and mediocre in our faith. The gravity of extreme persecution forces people to really consider their commitment to Christ, because if the Romans will feed you to lions for your faith you had better know you're committed first. In that case it encourages devotion and genuine commitment, as well as continual agitation to keep believers on their toes.

But persection does not guarantee these results, it is merely a potential catalyst. Persecution can spur us toward greater devotion but only if we allow it to. It can provide a refining fire to purify our faith, but it can also provide a spark for reaction and retaliation. Consider places like Northern Ireland where even Christians persecuting Christians only furthers violence. It seems that whether persecution would prompt us toward greater commitment to Christ or toward violence depends upon our ability and maturity to respond in a Christ-like manner. Another potential factor that unfortunately would play upon our fallen human nature would be how overwhelming the persecution is. In the face for the entire Roman Empire or the communist government the only hope followers of Jesus have is Jesus, and thus it leads them toward Jesus. But if we perceive in our fallen nature that in our own strength we can overcome the persecution, perhaps through violent retaliation, then the persecution which could prod us toward Jesus would only lead us deeper into ourselves.

How would this play out in the American Church? I don't know. I'd like to think we would respond with deeping devotion, but honestly I think that many Christians would react against persecution. I have observed in many Christians the view that we are the majority or dominant force in America. I don't think this view is correct, but it does make me think that this same view would push many Christians toward retaliation. If as Christians we have a mindset of "we're in control, don't mess with us" we will respond in that way. This idea sadly goes against Paul's writing in Romans 12:14-21.

In truth persecution should spur us on toward Jesus, forsaking this world for the Kingdom of God. Here are some passages to encourage followers of Jesus in persecution:
1 Peter 1:6-7, 4:13, 4:19,
James 1:2-4,
Romans 5:3-5

I raise my hands against Gnosticism

I was raised in a Presbyterian church.  It has been nicknamed the "frozen chosen" because during worship/hymns no one moves, wiggles, or even claps.  I kid you not when I say that my dad and I used to be the rebels who would sway to the hymns in the front row.

Then I came to college and joined Chi Alpha.  The music was contemporary with a worship band and everything.  And people raised their hands.  It took me a while to stop judging and to accept that there may actually be sincerity in this gesture.  But it wasn't for me.  Swaying was as far as I'd go.

During fall my junior year God began a process of leading me into raising my hands.  At first it was only in my prayer times as a symbol of reaching out to God.  Then at a conference I felt prompted by God to hold my hands out as a sign of receiving/yearning to receive from the Lord.  During DCF I began to hold my hands at my side as symbolic of Holy Spirit flowing over me.  Now in worship I raise my hands over my head and sometimes I dance like an idiot.

For a lot of us this can be a difficult process.  Somewhere along the way American Christianity picked up (perhaps from the Puritans with their belt buckles on every article of clothing) this Gnostic idea that our bodies are evil.

Our bodies are not evil, we are not merely waiting for death so that we can shed these earth-suits, but we are anticipating our resurrection bodies.  After His resurrection Jesus had a physical body.  In Heaven we will have physical bodies.  It's not about discarding the physical, but utilizing it.

There is this connection within my self, body and soul.  It's the reason why fasting in scripture is a physical fasting of food.  It's the reason why in Communion there is a tangible partaking of the elements.  There are greater things at work than mere symbols.

Through this progression of hand movements God has taught me the power of using my physical body to worship God.  My mind alone is not sufficient because I am not merely mind.  My emotions are not sufficient because I am not only emotions.  Nor is just raising my hands the point.  The point is to engage and involve all of me in worship.  So I dance like an idiot sometimes.

Why I love Leviticus

Those who have ever tried reading the Bible, especially from start to finish, usually get bogged down around Leviticus.  In terms of scripture that inspires Leviticus with all of its burnt offerings doesn't usually make it to the top of the list.  Really it's about as fun a read as a genealogy.

But I love Leviticus and what it adds to scripture.  The secret to Leviticus to understand what the passage meant to the original audience and how it applies to our lives.  This is true of all scripture, Leviticus just takes a little more digging to uncover something interesting.

My friend Stephen recently showed me in Leviticus how Jesus uses the passages about healing, specifically healing of leprosy, to demonstrate who He is.  Leviticus 14:2-32 explains God's process for readmitting someone who had previously been afflicted with leprosy back into the community.  After being banished from the camp, and after God has healed them, the ex-leper would come to the priests and show themselves to be clean.  The priests were not the agents of healing, they were not like shamans who tried to heal people, they would simply make the pronouncement of God's work of healing.  God is the one who heals.  Cool.

Now flash forward to 1st Century Palestine (Mt 8:1-4).  Jesus is coming down from giving the Sermon on the Mount.  A leprous man approaches and asks to be healed.  Jesus heals him and tells him "go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded" (Mt 8:4b).  In the Levitical context, in which God heals and the priest then pronounces, is not Jesus claiming to be God?  By telling the man to show himself to the priest Jesus is bringing this healing into the context of Levitical law.  Jesus takes on, making no apologies, the role of healer and God in this story.  I find that to be cool.

Jesus is cool like that.

Why Christians need hobbies other than Jesus

An issue facing the American Church today is that Christians need hobbies other than Jesus.  If we are to be able to relate to our neighbors and coworkers we should have things we like to do other than pray and go to potlucks (don't get me wrong, I love to pray).  Instead of "in the world but not of the world" it is easy to become "not in the world but of the world."

Mark Batterson once expressed the idea that maybe sermons are often boring because the pastor's life is boring.  And that applies to all of us as ambassadors of Christ, why would the world be interested in a faith that's tedious?  I am not saying let's water down the message to be hip and relevant, but instead let us strive for excellence in devotion and excellence in relating and reaching out to other people.


The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Cor 9: 19-23 " I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some" and we should be creative in how to apply this principle to our lives.  For example I think Christians should not just listen to Christian music.  I have been the person who killed the conversation when asked "what kind of music do you listen to?" . . . "Christian . . ." (awkward silence).  Similarly I  love prayer meetings, but if I spend all my free time in prayer meetings I am not cultivating other talents and abilities that God has given me the opportunity of.  How will we get to know non-Christians if the only thing we have to talk about is Jesus?


Having hobbies other than Jesus also benefits the existing Church and church members.  From the many years I have lead small group bible studies I have found that one of the greatest difficulties is cultivating community within the group, to get the students to hang out with each other than once a week at bible study.  I have also observed that often most of the people in any give study have only had Jesus in common.   Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful to see totally different people united in Christ, and how Jesus is not just for one particular group.  But would it not help us individually, and the community at large, if we could progress from only a common interest in Jesus toward having more in common with one another.  To be a group that values being interested in what others are interested in.  How welcoming would that be?


The most convincing argument of this for me is Jesus himself.  From what I can tell Jesus lived a really full life.  He is not boring.  He had character and He related to people.  As a follower trying to reflect Christ to this world I should live similarly.