There is no question that Christians are one one of the most persecuted religious groups in the world.  For accuracy sake, let’s define Christian persecution as any hostility experienced as a result of identification with Christ.  In some cases this persecution is expressed in very moderate ways such as social avoidance or being the butt of jokes at the office. But, in other cases, it is mush harsher and this hard line persecution exists across the world, even in America.  On the international front Christians frequently face imprisonment, loss of home and assets, torture, beheadings, rape and even death as a result of their faith.  Trends show that countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East are intensifying persecution against Christians, and perhaps the most vulnerable are Christian women, who often face double persecution for faith and gender.

Every month:

•  255 Christians are killed
•  104 are abducted
•  180 Christian women are raped, sexually harassed or forced into marriage
•  66 churches are attacked
•  160 Christians are detained without trial and imprisoned

For the past twenty-six years Open Doors has published a World Watch List, and in-depth annual survey that ranks the 50 most difficult countries in which to be a Christian.  According to their research

• 215 million Christians experience high levels of persecution in the countries on the World Watch List. This represents 1 in 12 Christians worldwide.
• North Korea is ranked #1 for the 17th consecutive year as the most dangerous country for Christians.
• During the World Watch List 2018 reporting period: 3,066 Christians were killed; 1,252 were abducted; 1,020 were raped or sexually harassed; and 793 churches were attacked.
• Islamic Oppression fuels Christian persecution in 8 of the top 10 countries.

According to Open Doors, the top ten nations where Christians found it most dangerous and difficult to practice their faith in 2017 were:

1. North Korea (94 points)
2. Afghanistan (93 points)
3. Somalia (91 points)
4. Sudan (87 points)
5. Pakistan (86 points)
6. Eritrea (86 points)
7. Libya (86 points)
8. Iraq (86 points)
9. Yemen (85 points)
10. Iran (85 points)

Syria dropped out of the top ten list down to No. 15, while Libya jumped back on the top ten list at No. 7 (since being No. 10 in 2016).

Though America may be founded upon religious freedom, persecution against Christians in the United States is not something that is avoidable. It is something that Christians will have to deal with and understand. The key to coping and dealing with the persecution of Christians and Christianity in the U.S. is our reaction to our persecution. It is in this reaction that our true colors will show. I remember being in a church meeting where visitors from Russia and China were sharing about the persecutions they faced at that time.  They had established an underground network similar to the early church where they held their prayer meetings in secret, always listening for the “footsteps of the soldiers” coming up the stairs.  When someone in our group said that we would pray for them because it must be “so hard to be a Christian in such places”, the visitors responded that they were praying for us and all American Christians because it must be so hard to be a Christian in a place where so many temptations were displayed on a near constant basis. Yep.

It is said in the book of Revelation that Christians will be persecuted and we must understand that persecution has been a part of Christianity since the beginning.  The key to understanding and thriving through the persecution is in reacting as Jesus Christ did. The body of Christ cannot retaliate. Instead, we are called to turn the other cheek. When Jesus Christ was on the cross, He prayed for forgiveness for those who put Him there. While the same is true for us, it may not always be as obvious as it was in the early church, because our persecution is more subtle. If we are all truly living as God has commanded – if we are living the words that come from our mouths – then when someone persecutes us, we will respond with love and patience. We have a knowledge that we are, to some degree, above needing to respond to their accusations with accusations of our own. We are commanded to love one another as Christ loved us. There is no watering this down; there are no corollaries or nicely defined niches that someone has to fit into before we are to love them. The command was not to love your fellow Christian brother and sister as Christ loves. The command was to love all people.

The easiest way to avoid persecution in the United States is to simply not persecute others and not judge others. We should all stand up for what we know to be true, and we should not be afraid to share our faith, but we also should not force or think that everyone is going to respond to us kindly. Those who do not know the Truth, the lost of this world, are not our “projects.” We can let God work on their hearts and He will use us as a bridge to them.

Persecution is inevitable. We are different from the world. The followers of Christ have been persecuted from the beginning, but still we grow and we learn to rely on God. No matter what the circumstance or severity of persecution, when we stand up for Jesus Christ as our Savior, we lose nothing and gain everything!

On the other hand some Christians see persecution under every rock when often they are talking about simply a loss of privilege or even the ability to persecute others.  But there are numerous instances where Christians are bullied for their faith in America and in some cases Christians can lose their jobs simply because they believe in the teachings of Jesus. Some Christians in America are hated on account of their association with Jesus. Real persecution just happens to look differently than what is often claimed as persecution. Case in point:

MidAmerica Nazarene University chaplain and Vice President of Community Formation Dr. Randy Beckum said this at the student chapel services. “In my life, I have struggled with some things that Jesus said, (pretty plainly), that go against the grain of what is accepted as normal, or OK or even a sign of a being a good Christian in this part of the world. Anyone who has made a decision to follow Jesus realizes that the goal of a being a Christian is to become Christ-like. I am extremely troubled.  I have been for a long time and I have hesitated to address this subject publicly, but I cannot keep silent about it any longer… I don’t think it is an under-statement to say that our culture is addicted to violence, guns, war, revenge and retaliation. Unfortunately, so are a lot of Christians… So, what does Jesus have to say about it.  Again, if you are not a follower of Jesus you can relax.  This doesn’t concern you. But Christians have to do something with this.  I have to do something with the words of Jesus and his actions… We have to be very careful about equating patriotism with Christianity.   We never say God and…anything.  God is above all, everything else is underneath…We have put “our way of life”/freedom on the top rung.  If you mess with it I’ll blow your head off. For a Christian what is on the top rung? Love for all.”

In many Christian circles you can talk about the Bible all you want, you can speak as much Christianese as possible, but as Dr. Beckum has now learned,you cannot talk about what Jesus taught regarding enemy love. That is off-limits and heresy.  The sermon on enemy love sparked an outcry at the University, with some furious that he’d have the audacity to call into question the issue of Christians using violence against enemies. The MNU president was quickly forced to issue a statement distancing himself from the teachings of Jesus, saying: “At MidAmerica Nazarene University we encourage the exchange of ideas and individuals are free to express their individual perspective and opinions, even when those opinions may not reflect the official policy or practices of our university, our core values or our affiliations.”

Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough– speaking out against bloodshed in American Christianity often requires bloodshed of some sort, and such was the case with Dr. Beckum. On February 3rd the President relieved him of his duties as Vice President of Community Formation, citing that Beckum had previously requested to be removed from that position, something his own daughter has publicly called a falsehood.

In my opinion, it’s easy to see what happened here: a Christian leader saw our lust for violence and military conquests, and decided to speak out on it. Since quoting what Jesus said on enemy love is so offensive within American Christian culture, he had to pay a price- and lost his position. There is anti-Christian persecution in America. The chief difference however, is that it’s not the secularists or atheists who are persecuting us- it’s “Christians” who are doing the persecuting.

There is a huge gray area when it comes to Christian persecution in America.  We’ve all read stories of Christian bakers, flower shops and wedding chapels refusing to take part in the marriage of gay couples.  Some of these business have been fined or legally forced to go against their beliefs and yes, one could certainly argue that this is a form of Christian persecution.  The problem I have with identifying such instances as outright Christian persecution is that I believe our primary directive as Christians is to lead with love.   Now, that reduces things to a case by case scenario.  Leading with love is an attitude, not a regulation.  I applaud Christians who witness by showing love in situations where most would show judgement. I believe Jesus smiles on those who witness to people in bars, casinos and strip clubs. I don’t mean carry huge crosses and shouting out “Repent, repent!” I mean seeing people in need, trying to help them, praying with them and maybe inviting them to church or some kind of recovery group.  Jesus Christ shouted judgement at those who pretended to be people of faith but used that position to look down on and condemn others.  It’s about love.

It seems that there are two different types of Christianity. One is a movement of people who want to live and be like Jesus. The other (and far more common, far more powerful) is a civil and political religion that is simply named Christianity. The civil political religion named Christianity is addicted to both political power and violence, and thus finds the message of Jesus offensive. When they encounter the other kind of Christian- the kind that actually believes in following Jesus- they have an immediate need to persecute them in some for or another.  There is Christian persecution in America, but much of it comes from Christians themselves.  There are organizations like the triple X church which regularly attends conventions fo strippers, pornographers and prostitutes manning a booth where says only “A Way Out” and helps those embroiled in these practices a helpful and loving way out of the life.  There are many Christians who would flat out condemn these people for going anywhere near such a haven for sin. But ask yourself this. Where do you think Jesus would go?