Courage, Not Safety

“Amid global attention on ISIS in Iraq and Syria for its persecution of Christians, in Nigeria two other groups of Muslim extremists – Boko Haram and the Fulani – have killed and displaced even more believers in recent years.” (“How Long Will It Be?”  Christianity Today. November 2018. Page 32)

That quote is from the lead article in the November 2018 issue of Christianity Today. In that same issue you can find an article titled, “Burma’s Beleaguered Baptists.” There’s also a news article about Christians in China titled “Government targets house churches, online ministries.” An additional article on China is titled “China Cracks Down – Again.” 

In the “China Cracks Down – Again” article, Mark Galli, editor in chief of Christianity Today, notes “So the government is removing crosses from their steeples and replacing them with the national flag; inside, the crosses are being replaced with pictures of President Xi. Congregations must sing patriot songs in worship. Parents can’t bring their children in church.” (page 22)

By the way, this particular issue of the magazine is not focused on global persecution of Christians.

A professor of New Testament at Kachin Theological College and Seminary in Burma named Layang Seng Ja is quoted as saying “I understand if the secular world has no interest in us, but where is the body of Christ? We are the fruit and labor of American missionaries, so where are the Christians?” (“Burma’s Beleaguered Baptists.” Christianity Today. November 2018. Page 14)

For some believers, the answer to her question will be something like “we are working to make sure the new governor of Georgia will, unlike the current governor, sign a religious freedom act.” I’m certainly not opposed to freedom – including religious freedom – it’s just that I can’t think of a single moment in my life where my religious freedom was in jeopardy. As far as I can tell, the first amendment to the United States Constitution – “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;” - is still in place. 

Of more concern to me is once you start allowing the state legislature to define religious freedom, who gets to be in charge of what that means? I heard someone describe a particularly difficult boss he once worked for by saying “give him an inch and he will take your ruler.” It makes me nervous when the state gets into the business of regulating my faith – especially when the reality is that politics are so subject to being “tossed to and fro  by the waves and carried about  by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” to borrow language from Ephesians 4. 

To believers living under the oppressive thumb of Nero, Paul said – paraphrasing a bit: “respect government’s place in the world; pay your taxes; stay under the radar.” Again – that’s paraphrase, but I think it reflects the essence of Paul’s word to the Romans. (13:1-7) Would he say the same to us? Obviously our freedom to influence government is much different than was that of first-century believers, but does the kind of faith that would overthrow slavery in the Roman Empire eventually, or assist in overthrowing oppression behind the Iron Curtain centuries later, or the kind of faith Paul would describe as “the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16) need a state legislature and its governor to protect or empower it? 

Some might say that if places like Iraq, Syria, Burma, China, Nigeria – just to mention a few troubled spots in the world – had a religious freedom protection law, the awful things noted above wouldn’t happen. The problem with that idea is that in many places in the world where awful persecution happens daily, it is often done in the name of religion drunk with power and emboldened by the government. Power and government can be a dangerous combination for people of faith – just ask some Chinese believers.

I pray regularly for my two daughters. I don’t want them to live in a place where government gets so out of hand that being a follower of Jesus could require the kinds of sacrifices it does in so many places in the world. But I pray even more that the kind of faith they have learned from their parents and others in their lives is strong enough to stick with God no matter what the state does or doesn’t do. 

A friend of mine who, along with his family, has served as a missionary in one of the most difficult places in the world for over forty years once said to a group of students at Point, “don’t pray for our safety, pray that we will be courageous.”

It just seems a bit odd to me that believers who live in the freest place in the world, with the greatest portion of the world’s resources and income, and are protected by the mightiest army the world has ever seen would think investing time in “safety” is more important than being “courageous.”

Not too far from where I live there a house with a huge flag pole near the front door. A United States flag and a Georgia state flag proudly fly on that flag pole. Hanging at an angle on one of the porch posts is a Christian flag. It looks like it is bowing down to the American and Georgia flag. That’s the image I see in my head every time I read of another politician who is determined that Georgia have a religious freedom bill. 

At Thanksgiving this year I am especially thankful for the freedom I have to live out my faith in Christ. I’m thankful for the chorus of witnesses – living and dead – who faced far worse moments than I ever have or likely will – and remained faithful. 

My prayer is that believers will talk more about courage to be Jesus to the world around us than we do some sense of need for safety provided by the state legislature.