Those who are readers of history have probably heard stories about Christians being persecuted for their beliefs. While it’s easy and even comforting- unless, of course, you hate Christians- to write these stories off as old wives’ tales of the medieval epoch – the truth is, Christians have been persecuted for centuries and probably always will be.

But wait, you interject, how can I say that a Christian would be persecuted today? Are we not a society of “tolerance?” This so-called tolerance is a funny thing. Even though it is supposed to apply to everyone regardless of their religion, race, gender, and so forth, it seems to pick favorites. And this picking and choosing seems far from random, however we might like to think or convince ourselves otherwise.

Now there are those of you who are against Christians, and,perhaps, some of you have a viable reason for this. Maybe you have been subjected to unjust condemnation from a person or people calling themselves a Christian, or maybe you come from a background where you have family members who were professing Christians and used their “Christianity” to in some way hurt or even abuse you.

I can see how you would feel and just as you get ready to say, “No, you couldn’t,” let me add that I understand because I went through this myself. I endured all sorts of abuse from people claiming to be “Christians,” starting at a very young age.

And yet, sooner or later-later in my case – I became a Christian myself. While I don’t doubt it would be far more challenging for some people to become a Christian than for others, if I, whom I somewhat humorously refer to as “doubting Sascha,” can become a Christian, anyone can.

As for Christian persecution in our current age, it is, for the most part and in civilized countries, far different than it once was, and much of it is underhanded and subversive. And more often than not, the persecution a Christian undergoes is from those who proudly latch onto the politically correct “banner” of tolerance, claiming they don’t hate or exclude anyone.

We humans are a rather sad bunch, for it would seem some part of us deep within ourselves believes that this is the way we ought to be – loving and tolerant and accepting of everyone – and yet, it’s quite clear we are incapable of putting this consistently into practice.

Over the past year, I have had first-hand experience with being persecuted for my Christian faith, and, ironically enough, the persecution came from those who see themselves as remarkably tolerant people.

The truth of the matter is, we mortals see ourselves through a looking glass that is filtered through a myriad of self-perceptions and assumptions we have made about who we are, what we believe, and how we treat others.

And, while we may bear some resemblance to who we really are in our minds, it’s highly likely the resemblance is far from accurate, if accurate at all.

As for the persecution I have endured, I’m quite certain that my persecutors would either deny or find a flimsy excuse for their behavior. After all, I was wearing a cross pendant around my neck and I ought to have better sense than that. I should remember how offended some people get by the very idea of a Savior they say never existed. As for my carrying around a pocket Bible in my purse, how could I be so insensitive to the fact that they hate a God they don’t believe in?

Well, quite frankly, I feel I can carry any book I want to in my purse and I also feel I have just as much right to wear a cross pendant around my neck as you or someone else have to wear a heart, star, or emblem of your choice.

I have also come to understand, through my encounters, that these words Jesus spoke so long ago- words many Christians rarely speak of as they aren’t pleasant to reflect upon- still apply today.

“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they the prophets who were there before you.” (Matthew 5:11-13, KJV)

I know I’m talking about heaven and rewards in heaven, and those who want to believe heaven is part of a fairy-tale and doesn’t really exist will ask why they should endure something for a reward they will never get.

Well, I can’t convince you that heaven is real, and it isn’t my job to do that. Indeed, anything I might say to try to sway you to believe in heaven would be pointless because I haven’t ever been there and can’t give you first-hand descriptions of the place. Many of us have probably heard tales of streets paved with gold and pearly gates, but what heaven looks like isn’t really as important as what it is.

Those of us who make a deliberate decision to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior have been given the promise of a heaven in our future, but it’s something we have to accept on faith.

In the meantime, we can either keep our faith hidden and tucked away like those fancy china dishes we only pull out and eat on once in a blue moon, or we can boldly walk in our faith, owning it, confessing it, and sharing it with others.

Yes, the persecution of Christians is still happening, and it will continue and probably get even worse as this world becomes more and more broken by war, hate, violence, and hurt people hurting other people.

But, if you are a true Christian, you will readily choose persecution over denying your faith or keeping it hidden like a lamp under a blanket. For like me, you will understand that anything of true value that you have and have ever had and anything of merit within you is only because of the goodness of God.

Peace & Blessings,

Sascha

This page and all written material at A Pilgrim’s Odyssey is written by Sascha Norris. (C) Copyright 2023-2024 by Sascha Norris. All Rights Reserved.