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” →

Please pray for believers in Malaysia

September 14 | Malaysia – Please pray for the Christian workers in Malaysia who have dedicated themselves to nurturing Muslim-background believers. They are isolated from one another and seldom receive encouragement. Pray that their strength and passion for the ministry will be renewed.

Malaysia (Wikipedia) is a federal constitutional monarchy in Southeast Asia. It consists of thirteen states and three federal territories and has a total landmass of 329,847 square kilometres (127,350 sq mi) separated by the South China Sea into two similarly sized regions, Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo. Land borders are shared with Thailand, Indonesia, and Brunei, and maritime borders exist with Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. In 2010 the population exceeded 27.5 million, with over 20 million living on the Peninsula… of which approximately 2.6 million are Christians.

Christianity has established itself in some communities, especially in “East Malaysia”. It is not tied to any specific ethnic group.

Religion in Malaysia (Wikipedia) – Religion often follows ethnic lines, with most Muslims being Malays. The code of Islam enforced is “Sunni”. Islam was introduced by traders, becoming firmly established in the 15th century. The government promotes a moderate form of Islam known as Islam Hadhari. Any teaching which deviates from the official Sunni code is illegal, and no other forms of Islam are allowed. The country has both civil and Sharia courts, with all Muslims having to follow Shariah laws. These are enforced by the government and police forces.

Relations between different religious groups are generally quite tolerant. Christmas, Chinese New Year, and Deepavali have been declared national holidays alongside Islamic holidays. Various groups have been set up to try to promote religious understanding among the different groups, with religious harmony seen as a priority by Malaysian politicians. However, it is illegal to convert Muslims to other religions, and disputes have arisen over the use of the word “Allah” for God in religions other than Islam. Restrictions on religious freedom exist, especially for Muslims, who are often not allowed to legally convert to other religions, and are forced into rehabilitation camps if they attempt to.

Open Doors describes the difficulty facing believers –

The government has banned the use of the Malay language Bible and other Christian books because it deems their contents to be detrimental to public peace. There are a few Christian workers in Malaysia dedicated in reaching out to local believers. Expatriate Christian workers have declined in numbers due to visa restrictions.

Please pray that they will learn to cast their cares on Jesus and enter His rest every day.

But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed. (2 Tim. 4:17)

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” →

Please pray for believers in Yemen

Peanut Gallery: Current events in Yemen further jeopardize the lives of the few hundred believers from a Muslim background in this country of 24.8 million. Open Doors describes the flight of Christian ex patriots after the “Arab Spring” riots – click here.

Islam is the state religion and source of legislation. The few hundred Christians from a Muslim background meet secretly as they face persecution from authorities, family and extremist Islamic groups. In the north, no church buildings are allowed. There is some religious freedom for foreigners but evangelism is prohibited. There are four official churches in Aden for the several thousands of Christian expats and refugees living in the country but large numbers have left as a result of the Arab Spring riots.

But that was a year ago… before current events. Please pray for believers’ safety, protection and peace.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4.6-7 NLT

Turmoil Spreads to U.S. Embassy in Yemen

SANA, Yemen — Turmoil in the Arab world linked to a contentious video denigrating the Prophet Muhammad spread on Thursday to Yemen, where hundreds of protesters stormed the United States Embassy, two days after assailants killed the American ambassador in Libya and crowds tried to overrun the embassy compound in Cairo.

News reports also spoke of a separate protest in Tehran, where around 500 Iranians chanting “Death to America” tried to converge on the Swiss Embassy, which handles United States interests in the absence of formal diplomatic relations with Washington. Hundreds of police officers held the crowds back from the diplomatic compound, which Swiss officials had evacuated as a precaution, Agence France-Presse said.

For a third straight day, protesters scuffled with police in Cairo, news reports said, while in Iraq, a militant Shiite group, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, once known for its violent attacks on Americans and other Westerners, said the video “will put all American interests in danger.”

In Sana, witnesses said Yemeni security forces had tried to disperse a crowd at the fortified embassy compound in the east of Sana, the capital. But protesters broke through an outer perimeter protecting the embassy, clambering over a high wall and setting fire to a building.

They were forced to retreat after trying to plunder furniture and computers, the witnesses said. Continue reading “Please pray for believers in Yemen” →