Much of the persecution of Christians in the news today is attributed to radical Muslims, although there are many other groups across the globe also persecuting Christians. Radical Muslims use a particular religion or an ideological view based on an interpretation of that religion to commit horrendous crimes against innocent humans. Whether they capture the essence of their religion or whether they have a skewed and warped view of it is a debate both within the Muslim community and the world at large. The bottom line is that they are persecuting Christians—and often killing Muslims they feel don’t measure up to their ideology—in the name of God.

At about the same time Muslim radicals were massacring the cartoonists in Paris, Boko Haram was levelling the city of Baga, Nigeria, killing an estimate 2,000 people. I was very angry and outraged at the horrific scale of murder of innocent people of all ages. Although the massacre in Nigeria was not specifically targeting Christians (as far as I know), as a Christian I am deeply troubled by the indiscriminate killing of human beings. I prayed for justice, for the international community to stop these atrocities that grow bolder as each day goes by, and to bring those killers to justice. Where was the sign of international unity against the massacre in Nigeria?

Sometimes when we read the Bible we assume a historical posture that says to us, “that happened a long time ago but doesn’t happen today.” For example, when we read Hebrews 11:38 about ancient saints wandering in deserts and mountains and living in caves and holes in the ground because they were homeless because of their faith, we usually don’t connect that with today’s world—especially in the Western world where homelessness is either a personal choice or one is forced into homelessness due to financial setbacks. The world is larger than our enclave and looking beyond our normal focus, we can see that homelessness due to faith is happening right now.

The recent stories of the radical Islamic group ISIS indiscriminately and sometimes intentionally killing children has been on my mind these days, especially as we focus on children during the Christmas season. It is hard to comprehend what it takes for an adult to kill children for whatever reason but it is most incomprehensible when it is done to make an ideological/political statement to the world.

The Apostle Paul asked the Thessalonian church to pray that he, Silas, and Timothy be delivered from wicked and evil people (2 Thessalonians 3:2-3). Jesus prayed in John 17:18 that the Father not take his followers from the world, but that they be kept from the evil one. How do we harmonize Paul’s expectation to be persecuted and even Christ’s statements that all of his followers will be persecuted (John 15:20) with the prayer to avoid persecution?

Listening to the news about Iraq brought a different response from me than before. I had just finished reading The Lost History of Christianity by Philip Jenkins and my response was—“They’re still at it.” In a phrase attributed to Yogi Berra, “It’s déjà vu all over again!” The book is about how the great churches of the Middle East in the first few centuries of Christianity essentially collapsed, and many totally disappeared after decades of invasions, persecution, coercion to convert to Islam, and massacres. Churches, clergy, institutions, libraries, whole villages destroyed. Those that still exist (and have survived under the most severe difficulties) periodically face severe pressures unknown to us in the West.

I am not an alarmist, nor am I a prophet. But as I listen to and read a cross-section of materials emanating from the Western (primarily American) church I am aware that there are those who recognize a trend toward the persecution of Christians in the West. The form of the persecution will be different perhaps than other parts of the world. At some point it may converge with global persecution and take on more violent forms.

When Jesus said “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24), he had a specific thing in mind but Christians over the centuries have broadened it to the point where it has lost its original meaning and intent. Christians tend to think of any trial or difficulty as “their cross.” Usually this means that life has thrown them a curve and they are suffering because of it. For some, being mildly discomforted is to bear their cross!

We may think, after reading The Voice of the Martyrs’ Newsletter and the many stories about the lives and faith of persecuted Christians, that every story of persecution is a success story. That is not the case. It has never been the case, as expressed in Christ’s parable of the Sower of the Seed. In Luke 8:13, Jesus explains that some seed fell among the rocks, got implanted in the shallow topsoil and burst forth with enthusiasm. But when tribulation and persecution came, it died away. It seemed so promising; the plant looked so good but it lacked a root—it was not really grounded to be able to withstand the storms of persecution or the intense heat or pressure of opposition. Sadly, not everyone is prepared for the testing that will come in some form, whether severe or subtle.