Christian Persecution: Saddle Up! This is War! (Of a Sort)

Peanut Gallery – A military friend of mine told me that the first thing an army does when it moves into new territory is “show the flag.” Rebecca Hamilton has issued a battle cry in her follow-up article on Christian Persecution in the West – “show the cross.” Game on!

Christian Persecution: Saddle Up! This is War! (Of a Sort).

September 21, 2012 By Rebecca Hamilton

I mentioned in an earlier post, Christian Persecution: In the West, Where the War is Forced Upon Us, that violent persecution of a group of people doesn’t spring fully-formed from the head of some political Zeus. It evolves in an almost invisible progression from a series of smaller things.

It almost always begins with simple criticism, some of which may even be valid. In time, this moves to unjust badgering, slanders and verbal harassment, which is coupled with agitation for changes in the law that impinge on the rights and freedoms of the group under attack. The legal discriminations begin slowly, again at first in areas that may even seem reasonable. Over time, they cut more and more deeply into the basic rights and essential freedoms of the target group. At the same time, insults and verbal harassment move into hectoring, hate speech and outright attempts to silence people.

This is where Christians are now in the Western World. We are bombarded with verbal attacks on our faith in the media, in our conversations, at our schools and even in our friendships and families. We must make the decision over and over to either be quiet and let this bigotry stand or engage in unsettling and exhausting battles that always seem to involve personal insults. At the same time, law-makers, government agencies and courts create laws, mandates and rulings that attempt to compel us to violate our faith or face legal sanctions, or prohibit us from the outward practice of our faith.

The HHS Mandate is an example of the government intruding on the free exercise of religion. The lawsuit against the British government over a woman’s right to wear a cross on a necklace to work without being fired is an example of how Christians are being forced to resist laws limiting the outward practice of their faith. There are many other examples of both these things that I could add.

The next move after legal discrimination and social hazing is violent persecution. Continue reading “Christian Persecution: Saddle Up! This is War! (Of a Sort)” →

Christian Persecution: In the West, Where the War Is Forced Upon Us

Peanut Gallery: I am pleased to re-blog Rebecca Hamilton’s article on Christian Persecution in the West. With my earlier appeal for prayer for American believers I barely scratched the surface of the “soft persecution” facing Americans. Hamilton goes into much more detail making the point that what begins “soft” ends “hard”… we are at war.

Christian Persecution: In the West, Where the War Is Forced Upon Us.

September 7, 2012 By Rebecca Hamilton 18 Comments

Hearings on a discrimination suit filed by four British Christians against their government began September 4 in the European Court of Human Rights. The Christians say that they have lost their jobs because they would not comply with demands that they violate their Christian faith.

Their complaints range from a woman who was fired because she wore a cross on a necklace to work, to a registrar who lost her job because she refused to conduct same-sex cvil partnerships. These people have been the object of ridicule for filing these claims. But they have persisted, even in the face of predictions that they will ultimately lose the case. This article from The Telegraph gives more details:

By David Barrett, Home Affairs Correspondent

9:00PM GMT 10 Mar 2012

In a highly significant move, ministers will fight a case at the European Court of Human Rights in which two British women will seek to establish their right to display the cross.

It is the first time that the Government has been forced to state whether it backs the right of Christians to wear the symbol at work.

A document seen by The Sunday Telegraph discloses that ministers will argue that because it is not a “requirement” of the Christian faith, employers can ban the wearing of the cross and sack workers who insist on doing so.

The Government’s position received an angry response last night from prominent figures including Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury.

He accused ministers and the courts of “dictating” to Christians and said it was another example of Christianity becoming sidelined in official life. (Read more here.)

It appears that Britain has crossed the line into active legal discrimination against people of faith. This lawsuit and the attitude of intolerance toward Christians that caused it should be harbingers for the rest of us.

Violent persecution of a group of people doesn’t spring fully grown from nowhere. It grows from smaller things and lays down roots of acceptance in our minds and hearts in an incremental, almost invisible fashion.

Christians in much of the world are subjected to the brutality of violent discrimination that often approaches genocide. We haven’t gotten to violent persecution here in the West. But I believe we are moving in that direction. Continue reading “Christian Persecution: In the West, Where the War Is Forced Upon Us” →

More Good News – Victory: Nurses Allowed to Stand for Life

Peanut Gallery: – Special thanks to Terry at 8kids and a business and the folks at Biltrix for bringing this to my attention – check out their blogs, it will be well worth your time. And thanks too for the folks at the ACLJ for fighting the good fight and winning one for Life. Please click on their link – here.

Imagine you are a nurse. Imagine you have undergone extensive education and training and have chosen to specialize in assisting laboring women to safely deliver their babies. Now imagine that you arrive at work one day only to be informed that if you are not willing to participate in procedures that end the lives of those babies, you will no longer be permitted to work in your chosen field of labor and delivery. One group of nurses at a large West Coast hospital didn’t have to imagine this scenario — they lived it.

When these nurses first contacted us, their hospital’s Labor & Delivery Unit had recently been placed under the direction of a staunchly pro-abortion doctor, Continue reading “More Good News – Victory: Nurses Allowed to Stand for Life” →

Please pray for American believers

Peanut Gallery: Yesterday I watched the film – “Last Ounce of Courage.” I would describe it as a B Movie with an A+ message… it received a standing ovation from the dozen or so people at the early afternoon showing.

It’s the message that prompts me to ask you to pray for American believers: American believers have been, and are now, undergoing a “soft” – but systematic – persecution that has gradually eroded our First Amendment “free exercise of religion” rights.

“Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.” Galatians 5.1 MSG

Consider, for example, the Christmas celebrations and displays of 25-30 years ago – in schools, parks, market places, on TV and other public spaces – with those of today’s non-descript “Winter” Celebrations. We have become so brainwashed that a simple “Merry Christmas” in the grocery store feels like some major act of civil disobedience. What has happened to us?

Religion in America: The majority of Americans (76-80%) identify themselves as Christians… 36% say that they attend worship services every week or more… and a majority of Americans report that religion plays a “very important” role in their lives, a proportion unique among developed nations (see Wikipedia “Religion in America”).

The text of the First Amendment to the country’s Constitution states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” It guarantees the free exercise of religion while also preventing the government from establishing a state religion. The Supreme Court has also interpreted this as preventing the government from having any authority in religion.

Please pray that American believers:

would have the courage of our convictions,
would speak up for God’s Truth as we see it,
would be prepared to give a reason for the hope that is in us;
and would do so kindly, gently and clearly.

A Biblical Worldview Requires Uncommon Courage – Rick Warren

A Biblical Worldview Requires Uncommon Courage
by Rick Warren

“Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.” (Acts 18:9b NIV)

If ever there was a message you need in today’s culture, it’s this: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent” (Acts 18:9b NIV). In a world full of ideas and beliefs that go against God’s Word, God wants you to have an uncommon courage and stand up for what you know is true and right. Everyone else is speaking up and telling you their worldview every day. Why shouldn’t you stand up for what you believe?

To stand courageously, you have to know what the world believes and what God says is the truth. This is called a worldview — what you base your beliefs on. Everyone has a worldview. It is the lens through which you view life. Instagram is an online photo-sharing program that has these cool filters that make even a lousy picture look like something that belongs in a gallery. But it’s still the same lousy picture! Similarly, every person uses a different filter through which they see and understand the world. We may all be looking at the same event, but we will see it differently because of our conflicting worldviews.

Your worldview includes how you see God, yourself, others, the past, present, and future, money, time, good and evil. It influences everything in your life. Every time you make a decision, you access the worldview database in your mind and decide that, because I believe this, this is what I’m going to do. Your worldview influences every choice you make.

Here’s the problem: You are profoundly influenced by the worldviews of others. Every time you have a conversation, a worldview is being communicated. You are influenced by the worldviews of your parents, friends, an advertisement, or a newspaper article. Nothing is fair and balanced, because everyone has a worldview. Continue reading “A Biblical Worldview Requires Uncommon Courage – Rick Warren” →