Last Sunday I mentioned that this week we’re going to take a look at the whole phenomenon of
persecution of Christian believers in the world today. Rather than focusing mainly on expositing
today’s texts, I’m going to use our Gospel reading as a jumping-off point for our discussion of this
topic, which is something that I think we as Christians need to be as aware of as we possibly can.
Mark writes that King Herod heard tell of Jesus’ deeds of power. He had recently and reluctantly
allowed John the Baptist, the one who cleared the way for Jesus’ ministry, to be executed by
beheading. Herod had been, and still was, a little afraid of John, even in death. In fact, when Jesus’
signs and wonders came to his paranoid ears, Herod feared that John the Baptist had been raised
from the dead, and was somehow working in Jesus.
At this point Mark digresses to the story of how John came to be beheaded. It seems that John had
confronted the immorality in Herod’s behavior, as he had married his brother’s wife. Herod put John
in the dungeon for his audacity in confronting him this way. And his strange, degenerate and
probably drunken behavior continued after he gave a party on his birthday and asked his own
daughter to dance for his guests. He was so taken with her performance that he offered to grant
whatever she wished, up to half his kingdom. What she demanded was the head of John the Baptist
on a platter. And in his cowardly fear of offending his guests, he honored her request. What began
as an act of persecution aimed toward one who confronted sin, ended as an appalling example of
what can happen when a human life, one created in the image of God, is devalued by people with
more power.
This bizarre story unfortunately isn’t without rival in history. Emperor Nero had Christians burned as
living torches at parties in his royal garden. Many people of God throughout history have been
treated in the most savage ways imaginable before being killed. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs is full of
accounts through the centuries, many of which are simply too gruesome or frightening to talk about
from the pulpit.
To this day many who regard Jesus as Lord and refuse to bend the knee to Caesar or to hate
groups are in danger. It seems that the behavior and convictions of believers sets off in some
people a ruthless and pitiless scorn. It’s estimated that more people died for the Christian faith in
the 20th Century than all other centuries combined. And unfortunately, this is far from being over. I
realize that this is not the most happy topic to talk about, but it’s one that I think is of great
importance. My hope is that each person leaves this church today will be a little better informed
about those who so badly need our prayers and our support.
To bring this home, I’d like you to imagine something with me. Please imagine that your pastor, who
is married and has two very young children, is leading morning prayer in your church. Suddenly a
group of Hindu extremists force their way in and savagely beat the pastor, his wife, his brother, and
his little toddlers in front of everyone. Then they smash all the musical instruments in the church
and proceed to the pastor’s home, where they lay waste to his family’s belongings. This happened
a few weeks ago in India, where until very recently elected officials in some areas made it very
difficult to seek justice in such cases.
Or imagine the case of a group of medical aid workers in a Middle Eastern country. As they’re
traveling to a medical clinic a gang of armed men stop the group and forcibly kidnap them. Three of
the workers are quickly executed and the rest are turned over to hostile tribesmen. The kidnappers’
complaint: they suspected that the team was trying to win converts. This happened about a month
ago in Yemen. As far as I know the whereabouts of the kidnapped workers are presently unknown.
In China many Christians have been forced into labor camps and others have simply disappeared.
In Nepal a group calling itself the Nepal Defense Fund murdered a Catholic priest and bombed a
Catholic church, killing and injuring many. They’re now threatening to bomb Christian homes in
Nepal if they don’t leave the country.
I could go on and on with real life accounts, but instead, to show you that these aren’t isolated
occurrences, I’m going to name for you 25 countries whose mistreatment of Christians is classified
as “severe” by a persecution awareness group called “Open Doors.” They are (in order of severity,
starting with the worst): North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Maldives, Yemen,
Laos, Eritrea, Uzbekistan, Bhutan, China, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Comoros, Iraq, Qatar, Mauritania,
Algeria, Chechnya, Egypt, India, Vietnam, Burma/Myanmar, and Libya. There are many other
nations with lesser degrees of oppression of Christians.
Again, the purpose for putting this information out there is not to be an alarmist or to manipulate
emotions. I’ll be the first to admit that it’s easy for me to see this as a far away problem. We live in
the safe borders of a democracy in which freedom of religion is affirmed by the Declaration of
Independence and guaranteed by our Constitution.
Reports of bad things happening “out there somewhere” are commonplace. I get numbed by the
incessant information I’m bombarded with. What I’m suggesting this morning is that we all must
resist this process of numbing, and actively take an interest in our Christian brothers and sisters
around the world experiencing persecution. If Jesus’ rule is doing for others as we would want done
for us, I see this as a mandate.
So, given all of this, what can we do about it? In seeking an answer the first thing I did personally
was to look at what the scriptures say about persecution. What I found was interesting. First off, in
no place does the Bible recommend going in and bombing the perpetrators back to the stone age.
OK? It doesn’t say to wage a campaign of “shock and awe,” or anything like that. In fact, in his
Sermon on the Mount, Jesus not only tells us that we’ll be blessed if we’re persecuted for
righteousness’ sake, but he even directs us to pray for those who persecute us. There are also
several references in the Epistles to the outbreaks of persecution against Christians. In each case
the emphasis seems to be on God’s provision for his people when they’re being persecuted.
Paul tells Timothy that all who follow Jesus will be persecuted. And he writes to the Corinthians, “For
the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and
calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” And Peter tells the faithful, “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. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and
be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed,
because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” Clearly, the New Testament writers saw, in
the context of eternity, blessings that far surpass their current sufferings.
Now, I think it’s more than safe to say that this shouldn’t discourage us from advocating for
compassion and justice among the persecutors. One way of doing this is to write letters seeking to
pressure governments into honoring basic human rights. While there’s nothing in the scriptures
about letter-writing campaigns to correct injustice, there’s plenty about spreading the good news of
God’s love and his expectation that we love one another as he loved us.
This kind of advocacy is one of many beachheads in progressively establishing God’s loving
kingdom on this earth pending the return of his Son, Jesus, as the ultimate Judge of humankind.
After all, it was He who announced that he’s the fulfillment of Isaiah’s words, “The Spirit of the Lord is
upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim
release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim
the year of the Lord’s favor.” So writing letters to congressmen, embassies, and so forth are one
way to help.
Similarly, there are a number of organizations who do well-organized legal advocacy and will lobby
government entities to take an active role in resisting religious persecution. They’re always pleading
for financial help. And I know this is a tough one. I get more requests than I can count for church
moneys to combat various social problems. I easily get overwhelmed and numbed by their sheer
number. But I think this doesn’t necessarily excuse us from sitting down and prioritizing what causes
and ministries we in our fortunate position in America may be able to offer help to. I’ve provided the
names and web addresses of two reputable organizations in your bulletin.
Most importantly, what we can and must do is to pray. Paul was never afraid to ask for prayer in the
many trials and persecutions he faced. And he expressed great gratitude and joy to those he knew
were supporting him in this way. Effective this week I’m personally resolving to pray for the
persecuted church at least on a weekly basis in my prayer times, and I hope to do more than that.
We need to pray for relief and for justice, but even more that the witness of the persecuted will bear
fruit in winning others to freedom in Jesus. Around the world this is turning heads and winning souls.
And it’s with this joyful fact I conclude this morning. Does prayer work? Well, I mentioned a few
weeks ago that in China there are now nearly 100 million Christians, and the good news is
spreading like wildfire there. In the recent elections in the Orissa State in India the radical Hindu
nationalist movement that’s been responsible for widespread persecution, was soundly routed. This
is already benefiting believers in that part of Asia. And just this past week I read an article in
Christianity Today about Cuba. It seems that there’s something going on there that the locals are
calling a widespread revival. Christian groups are forming all over that island, and the contagious
joy, as well as the very visible care for their neighbors, is drawing more and more people into the
fold all the time. I’ll let you judge for yourself whether our prayers are helping.
But I do know two things: First, the recipients of our prayers and support are very, very grateful for
it. And second, there is much more help needed around the world for the persecuted church. Let
us not hesitate to imagine ourselves and our loved ones in their position, and raise our voices both
to the earthly authorities and to the Lord in a plea for help.
Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 6 is a prayer for all of our persecuted brothers and sisters, and who
knows, may one day be a prayer for some of us. With this I close. “Be alert and always keep on
praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me
so that I will boldly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains.
Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.” Amen.
persecution of Christian believers in the world today. Rather than focusing mainly on expositing
today’s texts, I’m going to use our Gospel reading as a jumping-off point for our discussion of this
topic, which is something that I think we as Christians need to be as aware of as we possibly can.
Mark writes that King Herod heard tell of Jesus’ deeds of power. He had recently and reluctantly
allowed John the Baptist, the one who cleared the way for Jesus’ ministry, to be executed by
beheading. Herod had been, and still was, a little afraid of John, even in death. In fact, when Jesus’
signs and wonders came to his paranoid ears, Herod feared that John the Baptist had been raised
from the dead, and was somehow working in Jesus.
At this point Mark digresses to the story of how John came to be beheaded. It seems that John had
confronted the immorality in Herod’s behavior, as he had married his brother’s wife. Herod put John
in the dungeon for his audacity in confronting him this way. And his strange, degenerate and
probably drunken behavior continued after he gave a party on his birthday and asked his own
daughter to dance for his guests. He was so taken with her performance that he offered to grant
whatever she wished, up to half his kingdom. What she demanded was the head of John the Baptist
on a platter. And in his cowardly fear of offending his guests, he honored her request. What began
as an act of persecution aimed toward one who confronted sin, ended as an appalling example of
what can happen when a human life, one created in the image of God, is devalued by people with
more power.
This bizarre story unfortunately isn’t without rival in history. Emperor Nero had Christians burned as
living torches at parties in his royal garden. Many people of God throughout history have been
treated in the most savage ways imaginable before being killed. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs is full of
accounts through the centuries, many of which are simply too gruesome or frightening to talk about
from the pulpit.
To this day many who regard Jesus as Lord and refuse to bend the knee to Caesar or to hate
groups are in danger. It seems that the behavior and convictions of believers sets off in some
people a ruthless and pitiless scorn. It’s estimated that more people died for the Christian faith in
the 20th Century than all other centuries combined. And unfortunately, this is far from being over. I
realize that this is not the most happy topic to talk about, but it’s one that I think is of great
importance. My hope is that each person leaves this church today will be a little better informed
about those who so badly need our prayers and our support.
To bring this home, I’d like you to imagine something with me. Please imagine that your pastor, who
is married and has two very young children, is leading morning prayer in your church. Suddenly a
group of Hindu extremists force their way in and savagely beat the pastor, his wife, his brother, and
his little toddlers in front of everyone. Then they smash all the musical instruments in the church
and proceed to the pastor’s home, where they lay waste to his family’s belongings. This happened
a few weeks ago in India, where until very recently elected officials in some areas made it very
difficult to seek justice in such cases.
Or imagine the case of a group of medical aid workers in a Middle Eastern country. As they’re
traveling to a medical clinic a gang of armed men stop the group and forcibly kidnap them. Three of
the workers are quickly executed and the rest are turned over to hostile tribesmen. The kidnappers’
complaint: they suspected that the team was trying to win converts. This happened about a month
ago in Yemen. As far as I know the whereabouts of the kidnapped workers are presently unknown.
In China many Christians have been forced into labor camps and others have simply disappeared.
In Nepal a group calling itself the Nepal Defense Fund murdered a Catholic priest and bombed a
Catholic church, killing and injuring many. They’re now threatening to bomb Christian homes in
Nepal if they don’t leave the country.
I could go on and on with real life accounts, but instead, to show you that these aren’t isolated
occurrences, I’m going to name for you 25 countries whose mistreatment of Christians is classified
as “severe” by a persecution awareness group called “Open Doors.” They are (in order of severity,
starting with the worst): North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Maldives, Yemen,
Laos, Eritrea, Uzbekistan, Bhutan, China, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Comoros, Iraq, Qatar, Mauritania,
Algeria, Chechnya, Egypt, India, Vietnam, Burma/Myanmar, and Libya. There are many other
nations with lesser degrees of oppression of Christians.
Again, the purpose for putting this information out there is not to be an alarmist or to manipulate
emotions. I’ll be the first to admit that it’s easy for me to see this as a far away problem. We live in
the safe borders of a democracy in which freedom of religion is affirmed by the Declaration of
Independence and guaranteed by our Constitution.
Reports of bad things happening “out there somewhere” are commonplace. I get numbed by the
incessant information I’m bombarded with. What I’m suggesting this morning is that we all must
resist this process of numbing, and actively take an interest in our Christian brothers and sisters
around the world experiencing persecution. If Jesus’ rule is doing for others as we would want done
for us, I see this as a mandate.
So, given all of this, what can we do about it? In seeking an answer the first thing I did personally
was to look at what the scriptures say about persecution. What I found was interesting. First off, in
no place does the Bible recommend going in and bombing the perpetrators back to the stone age.
OK? It doesn’t say to wage a campaign of “shock and awe,” or anything like that. In fact, in his
Sermon on the Mount, Jesus not only tells us that we’ll be blessed if we’re persecuted for
righteousness’ sake, but he even directs us to pray for those who persecute us. There are also
several references in the Epistles to the outbreaks of persecution against Christians. In each case
the emphasis seems to be on God’s provision for his people when they’re being persecuted.
Paul tells Timothy that all who follow Jesus will be persecuted. And he writes to the Corinthians, “For
the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and
calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” And Peter tells the faithful, “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. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and
be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed,
because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” Clearly, the New Testament writers saw, in
the context of eternity, blessings that far surpass their current sufferings.
Now, I think it’s more than safe to say that this shouldn’t discourage us from advocating for
compassion and justice among the persecutors. One way of doing this is to write letters seeking to
pressure governments into honoring basic human rights. While there’s nothing in the scriptures
about letter-writing campaigns to correct injustice, there’s plenty about spreading the good news of
God’s love and his expectation that we love one another as he loved us.
This kind of advocacy is one of many beachheads in progressively establishing God’s loving
kingdom on this earth pending the return of his Son, Jesus, as the ultimate Judge of humankind.
After all, it was He who announced that he’s the fulfillment of Isaiah’s words, “The Spirit of the Lord is
upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim
release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim
the year of the Lord’s favor.” So writing letters to congressmen, embassies, and so forth are one
way to help.
Similarly, there are a number of organizations who do well-organized legal advocacy and will lobby
government entities to take an active role in resisting religious persecution. They’re always pleading
for financial help. And I know this is a tough one. I get more requests than I can count for church
moneys to combat various social problems. I easily get overwhelmed and numbed by their sheer
number. But I think this doesn’t necessarily excuse us from sitting down and prioritizing what causes
and ministries we in our fortunate position in America may be able to offer help to. I’ve provided the
names and web addresses of two reputable organizations in your bulletin.
Most importantly, what we can and must do is to pray. Paul was never afraid to ask for prayer in the
many trials and persecutions he faced. And he expressed great gratitude and joy to those he knew
were supporting him in this way. Effective this week I’m personally resolving to pray for the
persecuted church at least on a weekly basis in my prayer times, and I hope to do more than that.
We need to pray for relief and for justice, but even more that the witness of the persecuted will bear
fruit in winning others to freedom in Jesus. Around the world this is turning heads and winning souls.
And it’s with this joyful fact I conclude this morning. Does prayer work? Well, I mentioned a few
weeks ago that in China there are now nearly 100 million Christians, and the good news is
spreading like wildfire there. In the recent elections in the Orissa State in India the radical Hindu
nationalist movement that’s been responsible for widespread persecution, was soundly routed. This
is already benefiting believers in that part of Asia. And just this past week I read an article in
Christianity Today about Cuba. It seems that there’s something going on there that the locals are
calling a widespread revival. Christian groups are forming all over that island, and the contagious
joy, as well as the very visible care for their neighbors, is drawing more and more people into the
fold all the time. I’ll let you judge for yourself whether our prayers are helping.
But I do know two things: First, the recipients of our prayers and support are very, very grateful for
it. And second, there is much more help needed around the world for the persecuted church. Let
us not hesitate to imagine ourselves and our loved ones in their position, and raise our voices both
to the earthly authorities and to the Lord in a plea for help.
Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 6 is a prayer for all of our persecuted brothers and sisters, and who
knows, may one day be a prayer for some of us. With this I close. “Be alert and always keep on
praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me
so that I will boldly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains.
Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.” Amen.
The Persecuted Church
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, 2009
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, 2009
July 12, 2009
The Rev. Daniel Tuton
The Rev. Daniel Tuton
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