So stick with me here while I go back to Mike’s post on revolution vs. reformation. I’ve been thinking about this for a while and even more so since reading his post. We are taught within the church that dying for your beliefs is the greatest sacrifice you can make. Follow the steps of Jesus to the cross. Regardless of whether or not I think too many of those “comfort-mongers” in the churches I grew up in would actually do that, it’s taught “religiously”. This idea of persecution prevails throughout the western church.
Have any of them actually been persecuted for their beliefs? Probably not. The fine print beneath the persecution teaching is that what they are really referring to are things like the devil making your car break down after praying like crazy (and not keeping up with maintenence) or not getting the tax refund you were expecting. Physical harm, death, banishment are never part of the story (except in the futuristic dystopia of Revelations- but they’ll be gone by then) because honestly, Christians make up 80% of America… so who’s going to persecute the majority of America. Terrorists, of course. If anything, the ones who deviate from the church and speak up about it are going to be chased into caves and persecuted by those crying “victim”.
I guess the point I’m trying to make is that the church has bred a culture of “the illusion of persecution”. An entire country of people who beleive they are victims, being persecuted by some unseen evil, despite the fact that they’ve done nothing to bring the backlash. The says that showing up is enough, you don’t need to speak out to make yourself a target. People beleive this bullshit and begin to think every unfortunate thing that happens to them is because they are on the righteous path and someone is out to get them for it. It’s almost as if we beleive Jesus was crucified only for the supernatural purposes of saving us from hell. Remember his life! To say the least, he did and said some things that were frowned upon by the church of the time and the political powers that be.
So with that said, who exactly is out to get all these Christians… the government? They are the government. The majority of our fallen nation? That’s them too. Or what about the gays, the terrorists, the devil? Well, I guess since that’s all that’s left, it must be them. It seems that if you are outside the church, you must be one of the fabled persecutors. I have a message for the church… no one is out to get you. Sitting in the pew, paying your 10%, and voting republican in every election does not make you a target. I doubt even the devil cares how you choose to waste your time here on earth. Why? Because very few within the church will ever disrupt the status quo as Jesus did so I think it’s safe to say, your comfort zone is secure.
So who do we align ourselves with to actually become the persecuted? How the hell should I know. I’ve never been a victim, I’ve never been persecuted. Who really wants to be? It sounds pretty horrible. But if it comes down to a choice between silently joining the apathetic majority or speaking out… I’ll take the black bag and my last cigarette (if there’s time of course). The thing the church doesn’t tell you is that there are much worse things than death. For example, feeling that something is wrong and pretending it isn’t as you sit in church and become cold and apathetic. There’s always the chance that everything I say is wrong (just for yourself), but to go back to where I was before would be worse than death. I mean, what if Jesus had decided that everything he felt and knew was all well and good but he wanted to just join the status quo and live a nice normal life. Could he have watched the world fall around him and not speak up and act? Some would say that is the “God” part of him. That he had a purpose and couldn’t do anything else really. But just like you and me, he had a choice and he chose to do the exact opposite of what the Church “does”. He was of course, persecuted for it. How arrogant that the church beleives the same backlash would be applied to them for doing nothing.
Jesus incited revolution and was killed for it. That is the example we are supposed to follow. How did this become a point of confusion? Why does the church think persecution will test them when the only change is a better marketing campaign to “bring in the kids”. Far be it for me to go out on such a limb, but does that not mean that “to live like jesus” means to love people, speak out against injustice, incite revolution when needed, and if death comes as a result… to welcome it. I sincerely, beleive now is the time for such revolution. The church has reformed, reformed and reformed some more and somehow remains stagnant. Quit pretending to be martyrs and victims and put yourself in the crossfire, speak out and become the target (if that is in fact the response).

*I may expand on this later but for now, I feel I’m rambling. No food + too much coffee = incoherency. Sorry kids.