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Faith Under
Fire........
Growing Intolerance for Christianity in U.S.
By Delores Liesner|Christian Post Contributor
"In a world of political correctness devoid of the rule of law,
tolerance has come to mean total rejection of Christianity and
moral standards. Modern tolerance redefines words like 'marriage,'
'discrimination,' 'equality,' 'morality,' and even 'absolutes.'
The word 'tolerance' as it is used today never includes opposing
arguments or competing worldviews. Tolerance has become Orwellian
and decidedly intolerant." – Matthew Staver, Dean and Professor of
Law at Liberty University School of Law.
A few examples of recent intolerance for Christianity:
• The Supreme court determining to exclude anyone who prays in
Jesus name from a rotation of officials who open city business
meetings
• The removal of US military Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt, over
the issue of praying in Jesus Name
• UCLA’s prohibiting a graduating student from thanking her “Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ” in her graduation speech
• Colleges making special accommodations for foot baths and Muslim
only prayer rooms, while a Muslim group membership may be
suspended or revoked for 57 reasons including but not limited to:
unbecoming behavior, insubordination, or inactivity; but denying
Christian groups campus recognition “because it requires its
officers and voting members to agree with its Christian beliefs"
"I want more Christian news!"
• A San Diego elementary school created an extra recess period to
allow 100 Muslim students to pray, while a federal judge upheld a
Knoxville, Ky., jury’s decision that a public school could
prohibit its 5th grade Christian students from studying and
discussing their Bibles during recess
• Christians in America have to tolerate the defamation of their
holiest images in national museums, including particularly
provocative, offensive acts defined as "artwork," some receiving
taxpayer-funded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.
On the other hand, several college editors who cited freedom of
speech when republishing anti-Muslim cartoons first published in a
Danish newspaper, were fired or disciplined because they were
offensive to Muslim students
• The Council on American-Islamic Relations (Los Angeles)
requested an investigation of the desecration of a Quran, Islam's
revealed text, as a hate crime. Conversely, when Palestinians tore
up Bibles for toilet paper (May 15, 2002, The Washington Times)
there was no outrage, and after a church in the U.S. saved and
held fundraisers to afford the cost of buying and shipping
requested Bibles in the Pashto and Dari language to an American
sergeant in Afghanistan, the Bibles were confiscated, thrown away,
and burned. The only official comment about burning the Bibles was
this one, by a Defense Department spokesman, “Troops in war zones
are required to "burn their trash."
These incidents have raised several questions that Brannon Howse,
author and founder of Worldview Weekend, agreed to answer:
CP: Would you consider these examples of intolerance shocking or
unexpected?
Howse: Not at all. Jesus said all nations will hate you. If you
are a Bible-minded believer such persecution should not be
uncommon or a surprise,” he stated, quoting 2 Timothy 3:12 “all
who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
CP: With 38,000 denominations declared as Christian, why does the
world’s intolerance seem focused on the smaller percentage who
claims a Biblical lifestyle faith?
Howse: Many who have called themselves Christians were false
converts. (II Cor. 7:10) There’s lots of happy talk but many
Christians are only committed to a culture war, surveying
unbelievers to see what they want in a church, and creating feel
good pop-culture within the church. Many Americans are wimps who
don’t want to suffer...don’t want to be uncomfortable.
CP: Isn’t that rather divisive thinking?
Howse: I don’t mind being called divisive – I pray that I am
divisive if that means based on the Word of God – living and
active, rightly dividing truth and error. We should expect
division – we need division to recognize that truth is not
subjective or emotional; truth is the unchanging character and
nature of God and His Word.
Americans seem to long for commonality and unity. This American
idea of Christianity is not what goes on in countries like Cuba,
China, or Korea. Those pastors have unity - the unity of all of
them having been in prison for boldly living out their Christian
faith.
Millions have been and continue to be martyred for Christ. (45.5
million in the last century per “The New Persecuted” by Antonio
Socci). We need Martin Niemöllers and John Wycliffes for this
generation. However, too many are only committed to a cotton candy
Christianity, not the Christianity of Niemöller and Wycliffe that
required persecution.
Without a sound theological foundation, when persecutions
increase, and they will, according to scripture, many who call
themselves believers won’t want to be marked as Christians. Those
only committed to culture war will give up with no hope.
CP: Are you saying everyday Christians, students, business people,
and homemakers as well as clergy should be expecting bias,
intolerance or hostility in all areas of life including civil
government, education, economics, public policy, and family?
Howse: Actually, if an individual who claims to be a Christian is
not experiencing intolerance or persecution – being called names,
belittled, marginalized, or characterized because you stand for
sound theology – you should examine yourself to make sure you are
a Christian. (See 10 hallmarks of a Christian at:
http://www.worldviewweekend.com/worldview-tube/video.php?videoid=4383)
Our culture is doing what Scripture said – getting worse and
worse. The books of James and 1 Peter tell us not to be surprised
at fiery ordeals ...[when they come – not if] as though some
strange (or foreign) thing were happening to you. Suffering,
intolerance and persecution are building us up for the best part
of life – which is yet to come.
CP: So what can Christians do when they find their faith under
assault?
Howse: We are in the world to be salt and light. We have to have
contact with the world to be salt and light, just as Jesus did.
Keep standing for righteousness or right living, for life of the
unborn and of seniors and keep going whether or not you win in the
courtroom, the capitol, or anywhere else in this world, because
you are standing for Christ.
Remember that it is impossible to find unity with the world
without compromising, and remember that we are God’s messengers.
Take all opportunity to proclaim the gospel (Galatians 4:16), and
ask yourself, “What am I proclaiming?” If we are proclaiming that
the Word of God is truth by our life and actions we are becoming
the enemy of the world. The world is not tolerant of its enemies.
In Germany, many who called themselves Christians went along with
Hitler but people like Corrie ten Boom said no I must stay true to
purpose of the gospel. The world would say her family lost and
that she was foolish to proclaim the gospel in a losing situation,
but the reality is that she won for the gospel by pointing fellow
prisoners to Christ.
CP: Are you saying there can be a positive outcome from
intolerance and persecution?
Howse: Absolutely. Persecution is an expected evidence of being a
follower of Jesus Christ, and we can utilize everything that is
happening in our world and culture as a pulpit, an opportunity, to
share the hope we have in Christ. But the Bible teaches us to
respond and not to react.
Matthew 5:10 talks of the blessing of those who are persecuted for
righteousness sake – not for responding as the world does.
Intolerance for righteousness is to be expected and embraced as an
opportunity to live so that anytime Christians are persecuted, the
world will watch and wonder why are they willing to persevere and
not compromise.