Persecution of Christians Continues Today

Recently I heard a pastor tell his congregation that the 20th century has been a time when more Christians were persecuted than in any previous. While I acknowledge that the persecution of us Christians has been immense during the past century, I wonder how we can know that this is so.

There are a number of websites that bring news about persecution and suffering of Christians world wide. Here is a partial list from a Google search:

• Persecution News of Churches Persecuted & Christian Sufferings
• The Voice of Martyrs
• Christian Persecution Info
• Open Doors: serving persecution Christians worldwide
• Christian Freedom: serving the persecuted church
• History of Christianity portfolio: with stories of martyrs 

The Religion Facts site, writing about persecution in the early church, states the following: 

The total number of Christians martyred in the early church is unknown. Although some early writers speak of "great multitudes," modern scholars tend to believe the actual number is not so great as is sometimes imagined. Out of the 54 emperors who ruled between 30 and 311 AD, only about a dozen went out of their way to persecute Christians.{5}
It has been calculated that between the first persecution under Nero in 64 to the Edict of Milan in 313, Christians experienced 129 years of persecution and 120 years of toleration and peace. {6} 

The Roman persecutions were generally sporadic, localized, and dependent on the political climate and disposition of each emperor. Moreover, imperial decrees against Christians were often directed against church property, the Scriptures, or clergy only. It has been estimated that more Christians have been martyred in the last 50 years than in the church's first 300 years. {7}

 The last sentence quoted above comes from Dr. Everett Ferguson, "Did You Know?" Christian History, Issue 27 (Vol. XI, No. 3), inside cover. Dr. Ferguson (born 2/18/1933) is professor of Bible at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, TX. and author of Backgrounds of Early Christianity (Eerdmans, 1987). He currently serves as Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Abilene Christian University and  is author of numerous books on early Christian studies. He served as co-editor of the Journal of Early Christian Studies. 


So far I have not discovered how Dr. Ferguson arrived at his conclusions. From my own reading of history and from the perspective of most historians, it is not safe to make such sweeping comments. I did find one website listing "Selected Death Tolls for Wars, Massacres and Attrocities Before the 20th Century." Matthew White, the author of that site, writes, 

"The principle argument against the accuracy of ancient atrocity statistics is that they come from innumerate societies without the modern skill in counting large numbers of people and keeping accurate records. Conquerors liked to brag about their exploits, and the vast hordes of the enemy army grew with each retelling. Civilization before the Enlightenment was rather flexible when it came to historic accuracy, and medieval historians never let the truth get in the way of a good story . . .

"We should keep in mind that many of the numbers from well-documented modern horrors are too big to be believed, but true nonetheless. The danger in doubting too easily is that we'll approach the subject with a double standard, believing the stories we want to believe, and denying the ones we don't."

The lessons in all of this are several:

1. Be cautious about making sweeping statements about such things as persecution, hatred, etc. without a solid basis for what you say or write. Everyone writes history from personal bias.
2. Be ready to examine your motives for making any such statements, e.g. "I want to shock you into realizing what a dangerous world we Christians live in and what a brave person I am to endure hatred and persecution in my own life."   
3. Know that Jesus did indeed predict that we Christians must be prepared to take up our own crosses to follow him (Luke 9:23-29; 14:26-27, etc.). We will be persecuted, because the world is under the control of the god of this world, Satan (Ephesians 2:2-3; John 8:44; 12:30-31, etc.).
4. Your quiet, but firm witness to your faith in Jesus as the Christ can and will have great influence upon those around you. 
5. In all of this, recognize that enduring persecution and hatred is not a way to get the LORD to admire, love or forgive you. As always, we are saved by His grace. Our salvation and hope is and always will be a precious and most undeserved gift (Ephesians 2:4-9).

The Witness of Sweet Perfume

In John 12: we read that Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha and Lazarus, took a whole pound of spikenard to anoint the feet of Jesus and then wipe his feet with her hair. This seems like a very strange and easily misunderstood act. What was she doing? And why?

 Spikenard Aralia racemosa, 

Spikenard is an aromatic flowering herb native to the Himalayan Mountains of India and Tibet. It was highly regarded in India as a perfume, a health-supporting herb, and a skin tonic. It is a relaxing and soothing oil for the skin. In Biblical times it was exported to the Holy Land in boxes carved from alabaster.

Spikenard was one of the most precious oils in ancient times, used only by priests, kings, or high initiates. A pound was literally a litra in Greek, equal to about 11.5 ounces or 327 grams. Judas, the treasurer of Jesus' disciples group, asked, "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"In those days an unskilled workman could make about a denarius per day (Matt. 20:2). So given today's federally dictated minimum wage in the USA of $7.25 an hour times say an eight hour day, a denarius would be worth around $60-70 in today's terms. Multiply that by 300 and you have a jar of perfume worth at least $18,000!  

John tells us that Judas asked his question, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag, he used to help himself to whatever was put into it. Indeed, this would have been a sizable chunk of money to access. 


Jesus' reply to Judas is also interesting. "Leave her alone," he said, "because she has done a beautiful thing to me. For the poor you always have with you, but you don't always have me. In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her" (Matt. 26:10-13).

Several questions arise from this narrative. Ordinarily one would expect Mary and Martha—probably still quite young—to be married. Why weren't they? They were certainly affluent, given that they had such an expensive product in their home. Some have conjectured that they were in business with the fishermen of Galilee. No one knows the background of this fascinating family, closely tied to Jesus and his followers.

Here's a simple observation for all of us who have been entrusted with wealth of any sort. It does not belong to us even though we may claim to have earned it (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Mary understood this. She gave her heart to Jesus and with that all her wealth. The ointment was a token of her devotion. In turn, her action teaches us that wealth of any sort is given to us so that we may witness to the gospel that proclaims Jesus' death and resurrection. This is a fitting reminder to us believers as we enter Holy Week to follow Jesus to the cross and from there to the open tomb of Easter.

Baptism and Catechesis

In many Protestant churches the only prerequisite for Baptism is some kind of loosely defined profession of faith. The candidate may simply confess a faith in Jesus and a desire. Then he or she is baptized. Since such a Baptism is seen as a sign of this profession, many are re-baptized upon moving to a new fellowship. How strange and how confusing.

There is no support in the New Testament for such a practice. In the Apostolic church the prerequisite for Baptism was a fully informed faith. Adult candidates, especially people with no knowledge of the Old Testament, were instructed at times for years before being baptized. Along with their confession that the crucified and resurrected Jesus was Lord and Christ, the Church required candidates to confess their sins.

This confession was in line with what happened when John baptized the Jews. They had prior knowledge of the promised Messiah and Old Testament teachings. For them the basics were in place. So upon confessing their sins, they were baptized. Jesus fleshed this out by claiming His crucifixion and resurrection fulfilled the Old Testament. He was the Christ, the Son of God. He said:

"These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:44-48).

Several prominent scholars present strong evidence that the Gospels of Matthew and Luke were the form of the catechesis or full instruction of candidates for Baptism in the first centuries of the Church. The Gospel of Matthew was aimed at the Jews. Luke probably directed his Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles.

For Lutherans instruction in the Small Catechism follows the model of the New Testament. It is intended either to bring believers to Baptism or to confirm that faith. So the Catechism begins with repentance (10 Commandments) and the Gospel (Creed). The catechumen is then taught the Lord’s Prayer as his model and receives Baptism, the gateway to participating in the Lord’s Supper. This process helps believers to understand that faith is much more than a mere intellectual exercise. It is above all a relationship of trust in the mercy and love of our Lord Jesus.