Christianity Under Attack?

This Christmas season there has been a lot of talk about the attempts on the part of secularists to systematically remove all signs of God out of the public arena. The extent of this phenomenon may be debatable, but taken to the extreme it could amount to a form of persecution of the faith of those who believe in God. As we consider our opinions on this issue however, a word of caution. In modern western cultures, how far are Christians really willing to go to stand up for what they believe? Consider the following as an object lesson of true persecution:

“…Nine years ago in South Pyongan province, a unit of the
North Korean army was assigned the job of widening a highway connecting
Pyongyang to the nearest seaport. Demolition of a house standing in the way
revealed, hidden between two bricks, a Bible and a list of 25 names: a Christian
pastor, two assistant pastors, two elders and 20 parishioners. The 25 were all
detained and, later that month, brought to the road construction site, where
spectators had been arranged in neat rows. The parishioners were grouped off to
one side while the pastor, the assistant pastors and the elders were bound hand
and foot and made to lie down in front of a steamroller. As if following a
script written in early Roman history, they were told they could escape death by
denying their faith and pledging to serve Dear Leader Kim Jong II and Great
Leader Kim Il Sung. They chose death. Some of the parishioners ... cried,
screamed out, or fainted when the skulls made a popping sound as they were
crushed beneath the steamroller."

– Excerpted from "Christians Afoot" - William F. Buckley

I hope the above puts our lukewarm Christian living into some perspective. These people undoubtedly showed their persecutors how important Christ is in their lives. As we live our lives of creature comfort desires and indignation at petty slights, can we say the same?

Ignore God and Decrease Your Birth Rates

I read a very interesting article yesterday in the New York Times on the topic of the shrinking birth rate in Europe over the past few decades. The article outlines the demographic danger facing Europe with the high likelihood that several countries (Italy, Spain and Germany among others) will see their native populations decrease by up to 40% by 2050. According to the article, the replacement birth rate necessary to maintain an equal population size from generation to generation is 2.1 children born to each woman. In Europe according to the article the rate is well below 2.0, with some countries closer to 1.5 and dropping. It is a lengthy and very interesting read that sheds some light on a phenomenon that in all likelihood will reshape the face of Western Europe within 100 years. The interesting thing about the article is that it was published after extensive research and interviews with many experts and it offers various possible explanations for why this situation has developed....

Funerals for the Unsaved or Unbelievers

I am not a leader of a church, but I oftentimes wonder how does one lead a funeral service for someone who dies without knowing Jesus Christ as Lord ? Admittedly I have not been to many funerals in my lifetime, though they are appearing to come more frequently lately, but the fact is that funerals are held daily throughout the world and as such this is a pertinent question to someone just about every day. I’ve been to the funeral where the person lived a fairly routine life, taking care of their families and other responsibilities as best they could, paying taxes and doing the average things that we as human beings do on a consistent basis. They however had no visible relationship with God through His son Jesus Christ. When this person dies, the surviving family members are oftentimes left scrambling trying to find a person and a place to officiate the funeral services – generally because the deceased did not have a regular church that they attended. Funeral homes sometimes ...

Richard Dawkins’ Wisdom of the Wise

The subject of Atheism has been quite popular in the literary mainstream over the past few years, as “Atheists as Celebrity” Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins and others have enriched themselves with self important intellectual books, talk shows and other benefits of our enlightened society. That there are people who willfully claim a disbelief in God is nothing new. That it has become so militant, with legion of sycophants worshipping at their feet may very well be. Or it could simply be another case of the Internet making something seem far more widespread because we now know more about it. Whatever the case, I always find it interesting to read the comments of people on the subject of whether or not there is a God. This interest brought me to an article on Richard Dawkins on the London Times website over the weekend. The article is ostensibly a primer on Dawkins, and some TV show that he is apparently going to host in England on the subject of Charles Darwin and his theory of e...

Treasure In Clay Jars

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