The persecuted church

Sunday morning my pastor preached from the book of 1 Peter. It was a good sermon about having hope and peace during times of persecution. The Christians of that day were being persecuted by the Roman empire and many lost their lives. This got me to thinking whether or not we face persecution in America. I know many people today who do think Christians in America today face persecution but frankly I just don't see it that way.

Most of what drives the debate on this issue is the political and cultural war that is being waged against Christianity. I agree that the secular left is trying to purge anything Christian from the public culture. I know lots of Christians who get so upset about these cultural issues but don't have the same zeal for Christ in their personal lives. They would rather complain about the lack of prayers in the public schools than pray every morning themselves. And while cultural and political issues are important I don't know if they are tantamount to persecution. These trials certainly don't rise to the level that our fellow Christians experienced throughout history or in even in other parts of the world today. I recently read an article that more Christians were martyred for their faith last century than in all the other centuries combined. That's a pretty staggering statistic but almost all of the killings were in foreign countries. In fact, I cannot think of one documented incident in which a person in America has either been killed, beaten or threatened because of their faith in Jesus.

What we consider persecution( no school prayer, banning the display of the 10 commandments, calling Christmas vacation Holiday vacation instead) doesn't really seem to measure what is happening in other parts of the world. Comparatively, we have it pretty easy here and I wonder what impact the lack of persecution has had on the American church.

There is an historical argument that supposes persecution is good for the Christian faith because it weeds out those who are not sincere and because it shows just how committed true Christians are to the cause of Christ. Tertullian, an early church father once said the blood of martyrs is the seed of the church. Historically, when the church has been persecuted, they have seen it's numbers and it's spiritual fervor increase. Conversely when the church was in power and not being persecuted, the church has experienced corruption and complacency.

What's interesting is that while the church's influence in the west is fading, the church appears to be flourishing across the globe especially in Asia, Africa and south America. Whether this growth is tied to persecution or not I don't know but I do think there is some merit to that theory. On the flip side could the reason the church is struggling in America be because we have become too lukewarm and comfortable? Has the church become so inoffensive that we don't merit a passionate attack from our critics? Maybe if we are not facing trials we are not living out our faith as strongly as we should? Can the church truly live at peace with those who do not share our beliefs?

For the record I am not advocating seeking out persecution or martyrdom. But I do wonder if the church wouldn't be stronger in the face of more adversity. I welcome feedback on this important issue.