5 Reasons Why American “Christians” Cheer the Persecution of American Christians

We live in wild and wacky times.

And its probably gonna get a whole lot wilder and wackier before it gets much better. That much seems certain.

The America of 2015 is so far down the pike (and drain) from the America of just 2000 or 2005 that it really can be hard for many to acknowledge, much less accept, the trajectory and velocity of our decline.

Over the past summer, we’ve watched Socialized health care become cemented into place and “gay marriage” made the “law” of the lawless land of America. (See: With ObamaCare and “Gay Marriage” upheld, when (if ever) should we simply say no to Federal control?)

We’ve also watched as Planned Parenthood has been exposed with such clarity and in such detail as to make it painfully plain that we are, by any sane standard, a far worse culture than that which produced Nazi Germany in the 1930s. (See: 51,000,003 reasons why America owes Nazi Germany an apology.)

As these providentially arranged judgments and revelations have unfolded we’ve also witnessed open persecution of obedient Christians kick into high gear all across the fruited plain. (See: Corporate America’s Big Gay Push (Or: “Mark of the Beast” economics, here we come!)

This persecution has now reached the point where those who would dare stand for the lordship of Christ over the lordship of the State are now to be jailed (see: Woman jailed for obeying God in America…while Gay America chants “love wins!”).

The worst, most revealing, and most reprehensible part of it all is that this open persecution of obedient Christians by the Almighty American State is being encouraged and enabled by the support of professing Christians in America.

This is what happens when the religion of Statism  – the supremacy of man and of the State – replaces biblical Christianity in the hearts and minds of most professing Christians in a land. This is the tipping point that we’ve passed in America. As a result, we can and must expect more and more obedient Christians to be more and more openly and more and more seriously persecuted in America…often as American “Christians” cheer on the persecution.

In order to better understand why this is happening, we’ll try here to take a brief look at five of the many reasons why the “Christian” embrace of Christian persecution has taken root in America.

Before we get into the list, though, there are two quick (but important) points of clarification that need to be made:

First off, we have all contributed to this situation. Even the best and most faithful Christians among us (whose faith and faithful actions are all gifts of God given by His grace alone) have become enablers of Statism to some extent and failed to repent thoroughly of past and present harmful and unbiblical beliefs. We all need to repent and submit more faithfully to Christ if we are to reverse this culture’s (or even our own lives’ and homes’) course while there is yet time.

Secondly, my frequent use of the word Christian with quotes around it (“Christian”) is intended to convey the notion that when we – any one of us – engage in obviously unbiblical behavior, we need to check ourselves to see that we are indeed “in the faith” (see: 2 Corinthians 13:5). We need to stop assuming that because we go to church or our parents were Christians or we like theology or we behave nicely that we are actually supernaturally reborn New Creatures in Christ. We need to “test all things” (see: 1 Thessalonians 5:21), including our preferences, traditions, patriotism and even our faith in light of the perfect Word of God.

So the “Christian” tag – the sense that something (or someone) is claiming to be Christian while clearly acting contrary to Christ – is something that should inspire us all to test ourselves.

Assume nothing.

Test all things.

Repent accordingly.

That’s the idea.

For all of us…certainly myself included.

With these things noted and held close, on to…

5 Reasons Why American “Christians” Cheer the Persecution of American Christians:

1. American “Christians” are convicted by biblical stands and acts of obedience taken by others. When a big-talking, church-going, Bible-thumping, choir-singing American “Christian” who will not take biblically mandated stands sees someone else actually obeying the Lord, accepting persecution, and trusting Christ to be glorified through their act of self-sacrificial obedience, this inspires conviction in the professing Christian who has, up to that point, rationalized and justified their personal refusal to take such biblically required stands against the enemies of Christ (which they tell themselves and others are too “radical” and “extreme” to be productive and therefore “worth the risk” here in “the real world”). (See also: Easy Button Christianity…the Devil’s (and most Americans’) favorite kind.)
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2. American “Christians” are exposed by biblical stands and acts of obedience taken by others. Many professing Christians in America lash out and rail against the likes of Kim Davis because by taking such stands at great risk and cost, people like Mrs. Davis expose the cowardly, phony nature of the “Christianity” embraced by many in America. By daring to take a clear, uncompromisingly biblical stand and suffering consequences that most American Christians wouldn’t even consider taking on, stands like that taken by Mrs. Davis reveal the “faith” of those who will not stand to be self-serving, counterfeit, and weak. (See: Limp Wristed Gospels Make Limp Wristed Cultures.)
   

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3. American “Christianity” is exposed by biblical stands and acts of obedience taken by others. While religion built around the emotions, preferences, traditions, and comfort of man has become very popular in America and has even come to form the core of “Americanized Christianity”, it is nothing but another selfish, emotion-driven, weak and watery counterfeit religion. When hard, conventional-“wisdom”-bucking, culture-shaking stands consistent with true Christianity are taken by people – however flawed or imperfect those people may be – those stands reveal by stark contrast the difference between true Christianity centering on active obedience to Christ regardless of the temporary cost here and now, and that of Americanized Christianity, which actively opposes any behavior that makes one too “uncomfortable” and/or undermines the supremacy of the American State as God in practice. (See: The State as God in practice: How we currently evangelize through government, law and education.)
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4. American “Christians” are revealed to be disciples of the State rather than disciples of Christ through biblical acts of obedience taken by others. For generations now in America we have been programmed through State/Corporate owned and operated schools and pop culture to presuppose the ultimate authority of the State here on earth, in direct opposition to the Gospel-fueled Great Commission, which clearly proclaims that Christ has all authority on earth right now and that we are to be disciples who actively obey Him in every area and realm of life…including politics, civil government, economics, and everything else. The tragic reality made plain by millions of professing American Christians accepting the State’s imprisonment of Kim Davis as legitimate is that these professing Christians have been far more successfully discipled by the State – disciple unto the religion of Statism – than they have been discipled unto Christ and Christianity. (See: Statism 101: State-run “education” makes a State-dependent population.)
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5. American “Christian” vindictiveness and viciousness is drawn out and put on parade through biblical acts of obedience taken by others. This one might seem counterintuitive at first. Why would those cheering on the persecution of obedient Christians desire for their own vindictiveness and viciousness to be drawn out and made plain for all to see?
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   Well, the short answer is: They wouldn’t.
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   But God is sovereign, and this “drawing out” and parading about of certain “Christians” and the false Christianity driving them is one of the reasons why this happens. All of this ultimately glorifies Him and all of this ultimately works to the benefit of His true people (see: Romans 8:28).
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   When someone snarls on about how since Kim Davis has bad theology or has been married four times as a way of trying to discredit her act of personal obedience to the clear commands of Jesus, we get a good look into the black and pathetic heart of those who will, apart from the saving grace of God, do anything to resist and repel the conviction, exposure, and revelation brought about by the grace of God through faithful acts of self-sacrificial obedience.
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   Is Kim Davis’ obedience today contingent upon her faithfulness in the past? Is Kim Davis somehow not responsible to obey the Lord today because she has failed so profoundly – as we all have – in the past?
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   Apparently so, at least according to Americanized Christianity, where the State is God in practice and you just do what you’re told by the true lord over this world here and now in America…and that “lord” ain’t King Jesus.

This completes this list of five items respectfully submitted for your prayerful consideration on this vital subject at this critical moment in our history. There are many more points that could be raised and productively kicked around along these lines, and maybe we’ll get into some of ’em in future posts.

In the meantime, I hope and pray that what has been shared here is convicting when appropriate, helpful always, and that it might be used by the grace of God to move His people more firmly and solidly to His side, dismissing the criticisms of unbelief and trusting in Him fully to handle our faithfulness perfectly…all by His grace, all for His glory, and all to our eternal benefit.

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.”

~ Jesus (the real One), in John 15:18-22

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